


head over sneakers

by kkuma



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Falling In Love, Getting Together, M/M, Oblivious Kagami Taiga, Rivals to Lovers, Slow Burn, Smitten Aomine Daiki, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2019-10-31 19:57:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17855987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kkuma/pseuds/kkuma
Summary: After their game at the Winter Cup, Aomine can't stop thinking about a red-headed idiot with weird eyebrows and terrible eating habits.





	1. cupid's arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, but seriously watch [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ek1XPs1zOk&t=3m36s) and try telling me Aomine doesn't fall in love with Kagami in that very moment ( つ•̀ω•́)つ try it, I dare you! It legit takes him 7 seconds to respond, he's so smitten and falls in love so quickly ugh I'm soft for them ♡ Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this and thank you so much for reading ♡♡ ʕ ๑•ᴥ•๑ʔ ♡♡

“Why are you acting like it’s all over? Things are just getting started. Let’s play again, I’ll take you on.”

 

Those words were all it took for Cupid to pull his bow taut and release an arrow straight through Aomine Daiki’s heart. Sweating all the way down to the toes, exhausted from the match he had just played, reeling from having lost to Seirin High by a single point: Aomine falls in love with a red-headed idiot who has weird eyebrows.

* * *

 

 

Lying on his school's rooftop a week later, he gazes up at the clouds as they float through the sky; mulling over his dilemma. What is he even thinking? Kagami isn't a chick, he doesn't have big tits or a thin waist, he's a behemoth who can eat 30 burgers in one sitting; sure he can play basketball well but Aomine is still better than him. Though no one pushes him quite like Kagami does. Kagami had beaten him after all and playing against him in the zone was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It was exhilarating, fast-paced and raw,  just the two of them on a plane that no one else could break into. Kagami is like fire, all-consuming and animalistic; he burns when he plays, constantly pushing himself to new heights through sheer dedication and willpower. He's something else, Aomine knew it from the moment they first played against each other. It's electric, Kagami is elec-

 

_Oh fuck._

* * *

 

"What do you expect me to do with this information, Aomine-kun?"

 

"Help me, Tetsu."

 

Sitting in Maji Burger, opposite his middle school best friend who is nursing a vanilla shake, Aomine has his face in his hands.

 

"With what, Aomine-kun?"

 

"With my situation! Like, is he dating anyone right now?" He asks nervously.

 

Looking between his fingers, he sees Kuroko giving him his usual deadpan stare, sucking on the shake till it empties.

 

"I'm quite sure Kagami-kun is only interested in basketball."

 

"Okay, good, good."

 

Running his fingers down his face to strum them on the table, Aomine ignores Kuroko's pointed look, instead passing his eyes over the eatery. He's about to say something but his heart gets caught in his throat at the sight of Kagami entering the burger joint. He's wearing his stupid Seirin jersey and he's smiling like a moron and Aomine feels his pulse quicken at his dumb, beautiful smile and _when the fuck did Kagami Taiga get so attractive?_ Aomine shouldn't feel this way, he didn't care about him in this way before the Winter Cup. Up until then, all he felt was the desire to crush him on the court, but ever since he lost to him all his passion has been refocused. When he had met up with Kagami to give him his sneakers, he had tried to sort out his feelings. As they had played one-on-one, he tried to make a list of things about him that he didn't like. 1. His stupid eyebrows; _why were they split like that?_ 2\. The way he looked so determined to beat Aomine; _yeah right like that was going to happen_ 3\. His stupid red eyes that looked like flames; _they were distracting_ 4\. His stup-

 

Pain rips him out of his thoughts and he pulls his hand away from Kuroko who just pinched him.

 

"What the fuck, Tetsu?"

 

"It's rude to stare, Aomine-kun."

 

He lets out a tsk and his eyes fall to the half eaten box of fries in his tray. He isn’t even hungry, he shouldn’t have bought them. _You’re lovesick_ Satsuki had said to him, _ugh_ he should have never have told her anything, but she probably would have figured it out anyway. _Damn annoying woman._

 

“Kuroko!”

 

Kagami’s voice rings out through the eatery and Aomine’s heart starts racing again. Kagami makes his way over to their table and sits right next to Kuroko, dumping his tray full of burgers down unceremoniously. Another Seirin member sits next to him, with a small burger of his own that looks ridiculous next to Kagami’s mountain, he’s got shy brown eyes and looks frightened under Aomine’s piercing gaze. He recognises him as Seirin's number 12, Furihata something.

 

_Why are they coming here together? What’s their relationship?_

 

“Why are you here, Ahomine?” Kagami grunts, with his mouth full. _Fuck, he’s cute._

 

Cocking his head back and slipping his hands into his pockets, Aomine gives Kagami a sly grin.

 

“How’s that any of your business, Bakagami? Or do you eat so much of their food that they’ve made you guard dog?”

 

“Shut up!” Kagami barks, chucking the wrapper of his burger at him. He swats it away with ease and snatches a burger, unwrapping and biting into it quickly.

 

"Oi!" Kagami barks, but then he grunts and chooses to ignore Aomine instead, opting to pull his tray closer to his body.

 

"It's not like you'll go hungry, Bakagami." Aomine snickers, but he's swiftly silenced by a sharp kick to his shins. "Ow, the fuck Tetsu?"

 

"I'm just trying to help you, Aomine-kun." Kuroko replies within a slight inclination of his eyes and brows.

 

At this, Aomine sits up a little straighter with a grimace. As usual, Tetsu is right, if he wants a chance with Kagami he has to be nicer to him. But is that what he really wants? Does he actually want to be with Kagami? The feelings he has for the idiot spurred up recently, but what do they mean exactly? Does he want to date him? Kiss him? Do _that_ with him? That thought makes heat rush up his cheeks and Tetsu raises a brow at his blushing. He takes another bite into the bruger to distract himself and focuses on Kagami's rambling instead, he's talking with his mouth full to the other Seirin member which makes him look like a chipmunk with his cheeks stuffed.

 

"-ven higher than I did before! I can't wait for our practise match next week." Kagami is saying.

 

"That's if you stay out of trouble. Coach wasn't happy when you broke that rim, Kagami." Furihata laughs, unwrapping his own burger carefully.

 

"Yeah but that was an accident." He replies with a pout.

 

 _Why is he so fucking cute?_ Aomine thinks as he sits and watches him for a while, getting lost in this thoughts again. The redhead isn't much, nothing but an idiot who eats too much. But he has taken up all of Aomine's thoughts recently. He can't stop thinking about their time in the zone, their time playing one-on-one, how he felt when he watched their final against Rakuzan. Kagami has a way of making him think all kinds of stupid stuff like going on dates and playing one-on-one all the time and holding hands. It's confusing, before Kagami, Aomine didn't even consider guys in that way and even if he did, someone like Kagami wouldn't be his first choice, right? Surely, he'd choose someone more effeminate and slender, right?

 

But as he looks at the boy opposite him on the table, Aomine can't help the rush of emotion than runs through him. Kagami isn't pretty but he doesn't need to be, his smile is vibrant, his face is distinct and his eyes, his eyes are like nothing else Aomine has ever seen. So much so that he can't even describe them; they are red like autumn leaves but somehow deeper than that, like flames or maybe like rubies.

 

"Aomine-kun?"

 

"Huh?" He snaps his head to Tetsu who was saying something he wasn't paying attention to.

 

"Would you like to join us for a quick game?"

 

"Game?" He and Kagami say at the same time. A spark between them is lit and in an instant they get into fight mode.

 

"I don't know, Tetsu. I don't think this guy could take me after all that food, it might be too much for him." He says sticking a finger in his ear to feign disinterest, but the grin on his face betrays him.

 

"Get real, Ahomine. I can take you anytime, anywhere." Kagami says with a growl. His burgers are all miraculously finished and he stands from the table roughly, jolting it slightly. Aomine jumps to his feet too, his excitement at an all time high.

 

"Are you sure, Bakagami? Why don't you go home and have a nap? Sleep off those burgers?" He teases.

 

"You're the only one who's gonna be sleeping when I finish wiping the floor with you." Kagami spits back, his eyes just as excited.

 

"Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun please stop making a scene. We aren't even at the courts yet." Kuroko says as he too stands from the table, Furihata in tow.

 

They all leave Maji Burger, Aomine and Kagami trading quips and insults as they go. Kuroko and Furihata walk behind them, the former smiling slightly while the latter looks on nervously. As they go, Aomine can't help but think about how easy it is to be around Kagami, how much fun he has just messing around with him. He wants more of this, more of Kagami, as much as he can possibly get. Maybe that's all his feelings are, a weird way of telling him that he just wanted to be friends with Kagami and spend more time with him. With that in mind, they reach the courts and Aomine starts stretching and takes off his blazer.

 

"You ready to start crying, Kagami?" He says with a snarky grin.

 

"Bring it, Aomine." Kagami replies with an equally maniacal one.

 

When they stand to facing each other in the middle of the court, their spark ignites into a full flare and like that, they begin.

* * *

 

Sitting back on his palms, panting as he looks into the sky Aomine feels light. Exhilarated but light, just how he felt during their game at the Winter Cup. He looks over at Kagami, spread out on the court floor panting just as hard as he is, and he can't help but smile at the redhead. He should say something sarcastic, something teasing but as he opens his mouth only one thing comes out.

 

"Oi Kagami, let's do this again sometime." He says, poking him with his foot.

 

"Yeah, let's do it." Kagami replies, swatting away his foot. But smiles up at Aomine nonetheless.

 

And as he stares at Kagami, taking in his blistering wide smile and scrunched eyes, Aomine can't help but fall for him even more.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at this [smile](https://weheartit.com/entry/257952681), I'm soft for this Leo boy ♡ And Aomine is such a dork, he can act aloof and tease Kagami as much as he wants to, but we all know he's completely taken by him. I can't be sure how often I'm going to update this or how long this story will be but I'll keep at it, these two idiots are very near and dear to my heart ♡.Anyway, thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you think about it ♡♡♡


	2. stupid kaomojis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, lads! Let's raise a toast because writing has been really difficult for me recently and I had to restart this chapter like 3 times, anyway I hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading ♡♡ ʕ ᵔᴥᵔ ʔ ♡♡

Walking home after his game with Kagami, Aomine’s head is more muddled than ever before. If he wasn't sure before, he is now. He feels something for Kagami, something that's definitely not just rivalry or even friendship .But he's still confused, he's never liked a guy before, hell he's never really liked anyone before. Sure, he's found girls hot (especially Mai-chan) and he's had a bunch of confessions from them since starting high school, but this, _this_ is new. Feelings like these are weird and foreign and Aomine isn't used to feeling them, so against his better judgement he pulls out his phone and calls someone who he hopes can help him.

 

"Dai-chan? What's wrong? You don't usually call me out of the blue."

 

"Yo, Satsuki. So, about what I told yo-"

 

"About you being in love with Kagamin!?" She sounds far too excited, almost squealing.

 

Groaning, Aomine considers dropping the phone but Satsuki is too quick.

 

"Let me guess, you can't stop thinking about him, right? And you don't know what to do about it?"

 

He lets out a tsk but replies her nonetheless.

 

"..Yeah."

 

His face gets hot, usually he doesn't care that Satsuki can read him so well but the fact that she knows exactly how he's feeling right now is just embarrassing.

 

Satsuki squeals and Aomine groans again, he's almost home by now and he just wants to go bed to sleep it all off.

 

"Aww, that' so cute Dai-chan! I'm so excited and happy for you!" She says far too bubbly.

 

"Gross, Satsuki.”

 

She starts going on about how she knew it all along, ever since they first played against each other at the Interhigh; that they had the potential for a level of synergy that would propel them both as basketballers. How they were so similar in personality, stature, hobbies and of course basketball that it made sense for them to get together, and while he’ll never admit it, her saying that they’d make a good couple makes Aomine feel giddy.

 

As much as it’s a terrifying feeling, it’s also an exciting one. Aomine’s never felt like this before but he’s never been one to turn away from a challenge, in fact he always welcomes them. It’s fitting that it’s Kagami that’s presenting him with his new challenge.

 

It must be fate.

 

“So what do I do about it?" Aomine says as he reaches his front door, pulling out his key to unlock it. Satsuki cuts off whatever she was saying and hums for a little bit before she replies.

 

"Well, what do you want to do about it? Do you want to date Kagamin?”

 

"I don't know. I just like him, I guess.” He says with faux disinterest as he closes his front door behind him but the very thought of going on a date with Kagami makes his heart beat just a little bit louder.

 

"Like who?"

 

His mum sticks her head out of the kitchen; her mischievous blue eyes lighting up as Aomine’s heart  takes a swan dive into his stomach at the fear that she heard him. She steps out of the kitchen with her hands on her hips, a dimpled smile pulling across her brown cheeks.

 

“No one.” He says too quickly, trying to make a break for the stairs but his mum is too quick, he probably gets half of his reflexes from her alone. In a flash, she manages to swipe his phone from his hand and sidestep his attempt to get it back, firing a quick jab to his armpit which makes him crumple to the carpet.

 

“Damn woman.” He grunts out as she whips the phone to her ear.

 

“Satsuki! Who is the girl that has stolen my stupid son’s heart?”

 

She sounds just as excited as the pink-haired girl down the line and Aomine scowls at how alike they are, _no wonder they get along so well._ But her words play again in his head and he freezes. She said _girl_ , and the realisation of that makes all the warmth leave his body. But of course she would, she wouldn’t dream that the person his affections are for would be a guy. The thoughts of what his mum might do or say if she finds out he’s into guys now makes Aomine feel cold; makes him feel scared.

 

So he does what he does best when he feels this way; he disconnects and distances himself. Without a word, he gets up from the floor and heads for the stairs, not bothering to get his phone back, not bothering to listen as his mother calls out to him from the bottom of the staircase. He makes his way to his room, drops his school bag and takes off his clothes, leaving them on the floor without an afterthought. He heads to the bathroom and enters the shower, letting the water hit his body. He doesn’t wait for it to heat up, not caring that it’s freezing and leaving goosebumps on his skin. He lets it washes over him, barely feeling it when the water warms to a more comfortable temperature.

 

What would his parents do if he told them he was gay now? Is he gay now though? He likes Kagami so he must be. Right? But he still like girls and more than that big tits, so maybe he’s not gay. But he still likes a guy even if it is just one, so what the fuck does this all mean? With an irritated growl, he scrubs his body with too much vigour, not caring how harsh he’s being on his skin. When he’s done he hangs his head back and looks up at the shower head; watching the water spray down onto his face. It stings his eyes so it’s not long before he has to close them. So Aomine stands there, letting the water run down his face and if a few of his tears fall as the water droplets do, no one but Aomine and the bathroom walls need to know.

* * *

“What’s wrong, Daiki?”

 

His mother’s voice calls out to him as he opens his bedroom door. She’s folding the uniform he left on the floor, her careful fingers straightening out the creases in his white shirt; the crinkles in his blazer. She places them down on his desk chair and turns to face her son. Her arms aren’t crossed in disapproval but lax on her hips like she’s waiting for something but not really enforcing it. She asked him a question but left it open for him to say anything he wants, just like she did when he came home from Teiko that day and first felt emptiness eat at him.

 

“Nothing.”

 

He rubs his hair with his towel, letting the cloth fall over his eyes so he doesn’t have to see her. He hears her sigh and the sound of a mattress compress as she sits down on his bed.

 

“Don’t lie to me, Daiki. Come here.”

 

Her tone is soft but still authoritarian, so not saying anything, he crosses his room to sit beside her on his bed, the towel around his neck still covering his face as he rests his elbows on his thighs and hunches over.

 

“I’m sorry, I grabbed your phone and embarrassed you in front of Satsuki.”

 

He grunts out a response and she sighs again.

 

“Daiki, you know whoever it is you like, I’ll support you right? I’m sure she’s a lovely girl.”

 

If she notices how he flinches when she says  ‘girl’ she doesn’t mention it, but instead lays a hand on his back and rubs it softly.

 

“I know it’s hard for you to talk to me about a lot of things but I’m here okay?”

 

“Okay.” He says quietly, he doesn’t want to say anything but knows she won’t leave if he doesn’t give some inclination that he’s alright.

 

With a gentle ruffle of his hair, which makes the towel hang around his neck, his mother stands and pauses before she bends over to plant a small kiss on the back of his head. Moving towards the door she snaps back to full on mum mode.

 

“Now do your homework, dinner will be ready soon. And don’t leave your uniform on the floor!”

 

He grunts at her, rubbing the towel into his hair roughly. When he’s done he lets it fall from his head to the floor just as his mother opens his door to leave.

 

“I love you, Daiki.” She whispers, they are words that aren’t said too often, words that probably should be.

 

“...Love you too.” He whispers back still looking at his floor.

 

She closes his door and he falls back on to his bed with a sigh. He stays like that for a little bit before sitting up and spotting his phone resting beside him. Snatching it up, he types out a quick message.

 

 **Aomine** : _did u tell her about kagami?_

 

He doesn’t have to wait long before she replies, he never does.

 

 **Satsuki** : _Tell who?_

 

 **Aomine** : _my old woman_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Of course not, Dai-chan!!（ｖ＾＿＾）ｖ!Your secret is safe with me! I just said that it was some girl you saw when we went shopping for shoes._

 

 **Aomine** : _good_

 

 **Aomine** : _satsuki_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Yes_?

 

 **Aomine** : _u think she’ll hate me if she knew it was a guy._

 

 **Satsuki** : _WHAT!? NO WAY(● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭⁾⁾ Your mother and your father love you more than anything Dai-chan!! No matter what, that won’t change ♡_

 

 **Aomine** : _k fine i get it, stop with all the stupid kaomojis they make my eyes hurt_

 

 **Satsuki** : _No ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪_

 

 **Satsuki** : _But back to what we were saying, what do you want from Kagamin? Be honest, Dai-chan o(^o^)o!_

 

Aomine groans before typing out his reply, it’s never gonna stop being embarrassing to talk about this.

 

 **Aomine** : _i wanna go out with him i guess_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Go on (*'ω'*)_

 

 **Aomine** : _and just be around him? tease him a bit? play basketball with him, shit like that_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Kiss him?_

 

 **Aomine** : _...yeah_

 

 **Satsuki:** _Aww Dai-chan!!!_ **（≧∇≦）** _that’s so cute_ **♡**!!

 

 **Aomine** : _stop being gross and help me_

 

 **Satsuki** : _What do you want me to do?_

 

 **Aomine** : _idk help me win his heart or whatever_

 

 **Satsuki:** _Kyaaaa~ Dai-chan, you’re so romantic ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ I’m blushing!!!_

 

 **Aomine:** _CUT IT OUT_

 

 **Satsuki:** _you’re no fun~ (˘･з･˘)_

 

 **Satsuki** : _It’s not hard, just be nice to Kagamin, talk to him play one-on-one with him, just be his friend first_ _(๑꧆◡꧆๑)_ _!_

 

 **Aomine** : _how do i do that? we go to different schools_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Get his number dummy!! (￣◇￣;)_

 

 **Aomine** : _can’t u get it for me?_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Should I ask him out and date him for you too (c" ತ,_ತ)?_

 

 **Aomine** : _fine i’ll do it, but how? it’s awkward to ask for_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Ask ˚✧₊⁎Tetsu-kun⁎⁺˳✧༚!_

 

 **Aomine** : _do u have to put those sparkles every time u type his name?_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Yes_ **♡♡** _╰(*´︶`*)╯_ **♡♡**

 

 **Aomine** : _okay, i'll ask him_

 

“Daiki, it’s time for dinner!” His mother calls from downstairs, and Aomine types out another message before pocketing his phone and going down the stairs.

 

 **Aomine** : _thanks satsuki_

 

 **Satsuki** : _You're welcome, Dai-chan! Good luck･:*:･ﾟ☆ｄ(≧∀≦)ｂﾟ+.ﾟ_

 

* * *

Sitting at his dinner table with his parents, Aomine is picking at his food. He's hungry but with thoughts of his day running through his head, he can't bring himself to eat even though it's his favourite.

 

"You're not hungry, Daiki?" His father asks as he finishes another piece of chicken, "You love karaage, don't you?"

 

"I do, I just...I dunno." He replies, stuffing more rice into his mouth. He chews slowly so he doesn't have to talk anymore.

 

"Leave him alone, dear. He's had a long day." His mother says as she takes a sip of water.

 

"Long day, huh? How's basketball been?" His father asks, giving his son a warm smile.

 

"Good." Aomine replies, his mouth still full of rice.

 

"Are you alright, son? You seem kinda off."

 

"Dear." His mother says, her tone cautioning.

 

"Is it a girl?" His father asks, which makes Aomine choke on his rice.

 

"Touma!" His mother seethes at her husband, kicking him swiftly under the table.

 

Coughing as he grabs his water, Aomine downs some before turning to his mother with a scowl.

 

"You told him!?"

 

"I didn't say a word!" She replies with a hand over her chest.

 

"Come on, Himari, it's obvious! He's not eating much, talking even less, it must be love!" His father says with a cheer, plopping a couple more pieces of karaage into his mouth, chewing happily. He swallows and claps his son on the shoulder.

 

"Well, who is she!" He asks warmly.

 

"No one, it's nothing." Aomine replies as he shovels more food into his mouth eating quickly. He chews fast, wanting nothing more than to get out of here.

 

"Okay, enough leave him alone." His mother says sternly, giving her husband a look.

 

"Daiki, I can help! Tell me about her, is she a brunette?"

 

Aomine swallows his food and stands from the table mumbling out a quick _gochisousama_ as he gathers his plates and dumps them in the sink.

 

"I've got homework." He says as he leaves the room, heading for the stairs without looking back. He hears his father yelp as his mother no doubt hits him again.

* * *

Sitting at his desk, Aomine flips through a textbook before flicking out his phone and texting Tetsu.

 

 **Aomine** : _what's bakagami's number?_

 

When he doesn't reply, Aomine boots up his computer and opens up a browser. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure his door is closed, he types out a question into a search engine.

 

_i like my friend who is a guy_

 

But most of what he gets are shitty articles from middle aged women aimed at teenage girls with boy crushes. With a sigh and another furtive glance back, he types out a more specific question.

 

_how do I know i'm gay?_

 

This search is more fruitful, Aomine finds a number of articles on LGBT topics and themes. He clicks on one and starts scrolling through a forum when his phone pings. He jumps, closing the web browser as a reflex and picks up his phone.

 

 **Tetsu** : _Why do you want his number, Aomine-kun?_

 

Taking a breath and closing down his laptop, Aomine gets up and drops onto his bed.

 

 **Aomine** : _u know y_

 

 **Tetsu** : _Enlighten me, Aomine-kun._

 

Aomine groans, all he wants to do right now is sleep.

 

 **Aomine** : _i want 2 get 2 know him_

 

 **Tetsu** : _Wow, I'm surprised you are being so forward. You must really like him._

 

 **Aomine** : _can you just give me his number?_

 

 **Tetsu** : _Hmm, I don't think I should, Aomine-kun._

 

 **Aomine** : _Y NOT?_

 

 **Tetsu** : _Well, it's not my number. How do I know that Kagami-kun would feel comfortable with you having his number?_

 

 **Aomine** : _i'm not some creep, tetsu!_

 

 **Tetsu** : _That's debatable._

 

 **Aomine** : _please, tetsu. just give me the number_

 

 **Tetsu** : _I've never known you to beg, Aomine-kun. Momoi-san is right, you are smitten._

 

 **Aomine** : _ur talking 2 satsuki about this? i can't believe this_

 

 **Tetsu** : _Relax, Aomine-kun. We haven't told a soul. But I mean it, ask Kagami-kun for his number yourself, it will be an opportunity for you to court him properly._

 

 **Aomine** : _r u serious!?_

 

 **Tetsu** : _Goodnight, Aomine-kun_ _(￣ー￣)~~☆_

 

Aomine doesn't bother trying to ask him anymore, he knows that Tetsu is done and won't give him what he wants. So he presses his face into his pillow and lets out a loud sigh that devolves into a yawn. Then he rolls over, covering himself with his duvet and sleeps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I love kaomoji! They are so cute and creative, Satsuki is a woman of culture just like me (︶▽︶) And ah, poor Aomine. I remember being a teen and questioning my sexuality and messing my whole head up over it. Honestly, it all terrified me, especially the thought that my parents would disown me. It took me 3 years to realise that bisexuality was a thing and that I was indeed bisexual, but don't worry I won't make Aomine take that long, I'll be good to him ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊ Thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you think ♡♡♡♡


	3. catch a tiger by the toe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ʕ๑ᵔ ᴥᵔ๑ʔ ♡♡ thank you for coming back for another chapter!! I hope you enjoy it so without further ado here it is!

“You told Kise!?”

 

Aomine looks at the faces of his 'friends' and sees not a single trace of guilt. Instead, Satsuki gives him a cheeky wink, Kise looks smug and Kuroko well, looks like he always does. The group are in SunCity, a cafe near Aomine and Satsuki's homes and one the pair frequent often.

 

“Calm down, Aomine-kun. We did no such thing, Kise-kun already knew.” Kuroko says before sipping on his milkshake.

 

“It’s true, Aominecchi! I figured it out ages ago!! Probably before you did.” Kise chirps, with far too much energy.

 

“Hah?” Aomine says shooting him a glare. _No way, he did._ “Get real, Kise.”

 

“It’s true! It only made sense, you were super interested in Kagamicchi, even though I’m way better. And after you lost to him you got super invested in Seirin, and during the Winter Cup final you kept watching him an—”

 

“I get it, already.” Aomine says grumpily, taking a long sip of his cola. _Great, now fucking Kise knows_. “Keep your mouth shut about it.”

 

Kise mimics zipping his lips and locking them, then chucks the imaginary key over his shoulder. Satsuki giggles at the little performance but it just makes Aomine seethe.

 

“I mean it! No one else finds out.” He barks out.

 

“Dai-chan, behave! We’re all here to help you out after all.” Satsuki says with a huff.

 

“Help me?”

 

“We have devised a plan, Aominecchi!”

 

Satsuki and Kise exchange excited looks and nod at Kuroko who stops his sipping to gently drum roll on the table.

 

“Operation: Catch A Tiger By The Toe!!” They all say with varying degrees of enthusiasm; Kise and Satsuki far too much while Kuroko has almost none at all, though he does look amused.

 

“What the fuck does that mean?” Aomine says, looking back at them unimpressed.

 

“Dai-chan, language! It’s part of an English nursery rhyme!”

 

“I came up with it! It’s clever, right? Because Kagamicchi’s first name is Tai—”

 

“Yeah, I get it Kise.” Aomine says with an eye roll, “But what does it have to do with anything?”

 

“It’s the name of our plan to help you win Kagamin’s heart!” Satsuki says with a squeal.

 

“Gross, Satsuki.” Aomine says with a groan, _telling her was definitely a bad idea_.

 

“Those were your words, Dai-chan. I have the text messages to prove it.” She replies with a smug look.

 

He groans again and lets his head hit the eatery table.

 

“So, what’s your brilliant plan?” He asks, his voice muffled as it smushes against the cold material.

 

“Well, first of all, you need to get Kagamicchi’s number!”

 

“And we’ve set up the perfect opportunity for you to do so!”

 

“How?” Aomine says lifting his head slightly.

 

“A practise match with Seirin High.” Kuroko states, “Momoi-san reached out to our coach and scheduled one for next week.”

 

“Yeah?” Aomine says sitting up slowly, “A practise match, huh? I can do that.”

 

He grins at the idea of facing Kagami again so soon, it’s only been a couple of weeks since their match against each other, so this will be exciting.

 

"Kyaa, Aominecchi got up at the thought of playing with Kagamicchi!" Kise says with a little squeal, "Love is in the air~."

 

"Shut it, Kise." Aomine growls, giving him another glare. "So what do I do after I get his number?" He asks turning to Satsuki.

 

"Slow down, Aomine-kun. You need to get his number first before thinking ahead." Kuroko says plainly.

 

"Please how hard can it be?" Aomine drawls, picking in his ear.

 

"You were freaking out about it a couple of nights ago, Dai-chan." Satsuki reminds him with a grin.

 

He grunts in response and tries to hide the blush working up his cheeks by taking another long sip on his drink.

 

"What do you plan on saying to him to get his number, Aominecchi?"

 

"Just 'yo, bakagami your number' or something like that." He replies with a shrug.

 

Which must be the wrong way to go about it as his friends sigh simultaneously; Satsuki shaking her head, Kise running a hand down his face and Kuroko looking just the slightest bit exasperated.

 

"It is hopeless, Momoi-san. The operation has failed before we have even begun." Kuroko says turning to her.

 

"Oi! What's wrong with what I said?" Aomine asks looking from one face to the other. "It's straightforward and doesn't waste any of my energy."

 

"That's the problem, Aominecchi! Why would Kagamicchi want to give you his number if you sound so nonchalant about it? You're treating it like it's something you don't really care about." Kise says, waving a straw around to accent his point.

 

And as much as he hates Kise's input on his private affairs, he can't help but think that he's right. If Kagami thinks Aomine doesn't care then why would _he_? He needs to put more effort into this, otherwise this whole thing is just a waste of everyone's time.

 

"Fine, what do I say?" He asks crossing his arms.

 

"Let's run some trials!" Satsuki says, clapping her hands together. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a couple of life size pictures of Kagami's face stuck to little ice lolly sticks, she hands one each to the others on the table while Aomine looks on aghast.

 

"Satsuki, what the fuck?" He says in complete disbelief, his outburst gaining them a few worried glances from staff which Kise waves away with his award winning smile.

 

"We told you, Aominecchi! This is a whole operation!' He says flashing the same grin to Aomine.

 

"When did you even— you know what, I don't even want to know. Let's just get this shit over with."

 

"Okay!" Kise says, far too pleased with himself. "I'll be Kagamicchi because I won't be there next week!"

 

"Good idea, Ki-chan!" Satsuki says as she puts away the other 'Kagami masks. Thinking about how she got pictures of his face and made them into props makes Aomine shudder. _A woman to be feared._

 

Kise picks up the prop by its handle and places it in front of his face, it's almost uncanny how it completely covers his face. He turns slightly towards Kuroko as not to reveal his actual face and speaks up in a pathetic attempt to mimic Kagami's voice.

 

"Yo, Kuroko. I'm jumped even higher than I did at the Winter Cup, huh? That bastard Aomine doesn't know what hit him."

 

Kuroko coughs over his shoulder, trying his best to mask his amusement and quickly responds with a wooden voice.

 

"Yes, Kagami-kun. Your jumps are most impressive. We are really giving Aomine-kun a run for his money today."

 

"Are you fucking serious?" Aomine says looking at Satsuki deadpan and unimpressed. She ignores him and instead joins the terrible impromptu performance.

 

"Tetsu-kun! Kagamin! You both did so well during the first half! But we've only just begun and Touou won't lose! Right, Dai-chan?" She says turning to Aomine with a smile.

 

"What does this have to do with getting his number?" Aomine asks, looking at them exasperated.

 

"Aomine-kun, you need to build a rapport with Kagami-kun otherwise you asking him for his number is going to be too out of the blue. This is how human relationships are formed." Kuroko says with a teasing twinkle in his eye.

 

Aomine glares at him before sighing and joining their stupid charade.

 

"Get real, Bakagami. There's no way you're gonna beat me." He says with a scoff.

 

They all sigh at his reply and Kise puts down the mask to reprimand him.

 

“Aominecchi, you can’t insult him! This is your chance to become his friend! You’ve got to pay him a compliment or something!.”

 

“But you— he just called me a bastard!? I’m supposed to just ignore that?” Aomine barks back.

 

“Dai-chan, it’s not about you. It’s about Kagamin! You need to be civil so that he can be let his guard down and let himself become your friend!” Satsuki says.

 

“Ugh, fine whatever.” Aomine says running a hand through his hair.

 

“You’re doing better than I expected, Bakagami. Maybe you winning the Winter Cup wasn’t a fluke.” He says with a disinterested face and a finger in his ear.

 

Kise and Momoi sigh but Kuroko gives a small nod.

 

"Baby steps, Momoi-san, Kise-kun. For Aomine-kun, that was a pretty good attempt." He says to them.

 

Aomine rolls his eyes and folds his arms again as he leans back in his seat. _I wonder what Bakagami is doing right now? Maybe he's cooking or something like that, Tetsu said he's a good cook. But he's probably just thinking about basketball or about how he can beat me._ Aomine chuckles to himself at the thought. _Yeah, right like he could beat me._

 

"Aomine-kun, please stop fantasizing about Kagami-kun and rejoin the conversation." Kuroko says with a slight grin.

 

Aomine sits up abruptly as his cheeks burn.

 

"I wasn't!" He shouts but the smiles they are all giving are proof that they don't believe him.

 

"Then why are you blushing, Dai-chan?" Satsuki says taking a sip of her milkshake.

 

"Momocchi, when you said Aominecchi was smitten I didn't know you meant this badly!" Kise says with a wide smile.

 

"Shut it, Kise." Aomine says shooting him yet another glare. "So are we done with this dumb roleplay?" He asks looking at Satsuki.

 

"No, of course not!" We aren't stopping till you manage to build a rapport with Kagami-kun! Let's move on to the next scene." Satsuki replies with still too much enthusiasm.

 

Aomine groans as they start prepping another scenario. They stay like that for next hour or so, going over conversation starters and Kagami's favourite things or as much of them that Kuroko can remember. Satsuki has 101 ideas for Aomine to use to get close to Kagami and Kise tries to give him texting tips and flirting lines that work on his many girlfriends, Kuroko remains quiet for most of the time adding the occasional comment or reprimand. As irritating it is to be around Kise and Satsuki who are fawning over his crush and Tetsu who manages to catch him every time his mind slips to Kagami, Aomine can't help but admit (to himself and no one else) that he's having fun. It's been a long time since they hung out like this, the last time was probably back in Teiko. It feels good to be around friends.

 

As they leave SunCity and they say bye to Kuroko and Kise, Satsuki hums as she skips alongside Aomine.

 

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Aomine asks as he walks beside her, he gives her a sidelong raised eyebrow.

 

"I'm happy because you are Dai-chan!" She beams at him before her face becomes a little forlorn.

 

"It's like your getting back to old self again." She says quietly.

 

Guilt crawls up his throat as Aomine looks at her sad smile, Satsuki has always been there for him, for over a decade now even when he doesn't deserve it. She's practically his little sister and after all he's put her through she's still beside him, still on in his corner, still looking out for him.

 

He sighs before bumping her lightly with his elbow.

 

"Thanks Satsuki, for everything." He says not looking at her, his eyes on the path before him. But when she stops in her tracks, he looks back to check on her. She quickly wipes her eyes before looking up at him with a grin.

 

"Being in love is making you so cute, Dai-chan~." She teases. Aomine groans for the umpteenth time that day as he turn back to the walkway.

 

"Gross, Satsuki." He says as he pushes his hands deeper into his pockets and starts walking again. She giggles as she catches up to him and proceeds to talk his ear off about her current hyperfixation.

* * *

 

When Aomine gets home, he finds his father sitting and waiting for him, which is weird because he’s usually in work during his time.

 

“Daiki!” His father says cheerfully to his son, standing to meet him. He’s still wearing his business suit so he probably hasn’t been home very long.

 

“Hey, Dad.” He replies cautiously. Whatever his father is up to it’s probably no good and his mother definitely doesn’t know that he’s home right now.

 

“I was hoping to find you, son! I made a quick dash home during my lunch break!”

 

“Uh..okay?”

 

“So about this girl you’re interested in.” His father’s smile is flowery and happy, he probably likens himself to an elderly sage imparting great wisdom but the mention of his crush makes the echo of a headache sound through Aomine’s brain.

 

“Dad—” He groans out, racking his brain for an excuse; his eyes frantic for an escape route. But his father (after years of trying to keep up with his wife’s reflexes) is too quick, he blocks the stairway and raises his hands in a placating gesture.

 

“Now, now, Daiki. I’m not going to embarrass you and I won’t ask for any details, I just want to give you some pointers!” His smile is wide but waning and his eyes are desperate, Aomine can tell that it’s important to him which is why as embarrassing as it is he can’t deny his father this opportunity.

 

“...Fine.” He says with a sigh. His father beams at him and claps him on the shoulders. He ushers his son to their couch and faces him with a faux serious expression.

 

“Okay first of all, the smallest of gestures can make a big impression! Try and notice the small things, did she get a haircut? New shampoo? New perfume? Notice and let her know that she looks and smells good. Girls love being complimented on how they smell.”

 

_Kagami probably stinks all the time though, and does he even uses shampoo? Cologne? I doubt it._

 

“Yeah okay.”

 

“Secondly! If she seems off in anyway, ask her about it. Don’t come on too strong or try to force yourself into her business but just casually mention that you’ve got a willing ear.”

 

_I guess that’s pretty solid, but what would Kagami want to talk to me about? He’s closer to Tetsu._

 

“Makes sense.”

 

His father nods enthusiastically at his reply before moving onto his next point.

 

“Third, if you ever get the opportunity to eat her cooking, compliment it! And ask for seconds, if she makes a fuss about it, that’s a good sign! She’s happy about it but is playing hard to get, that’s what your mother was like!”

 

_I wonder if he can cook karaage._

 

“Okay.”

 

“And my last piece of advice is simply: touch her!”

 

Aomine gives his father a raised eyebrow.

 

“No no no no, not in a creepy way! I mean subtle touches like a tap on the forehead or a shoulder bump, obviously don’t do anything to hurt her but physical contact is a big deal!” His father elaborates, with wild hand gestures and eager nods. “It’s establishes that your  feelings aren’t completely platonic and subconsciously makes her relax around you. Of course if she tells you she doesn’t like it stop immediately but if your subtle enough she won’t even notice. And if she does then back? You’re golden!”

 

His actions make Aomine feel like a kid again, pulling him back to times when his father used to tell him bedtime stories about gods and yokai. He can’t help the small smile that pulls at his lips as he watches how excited his father is.

 

“Thanks Dad, I'll keep that all in mind." He says with his chin in his palm. His father beams at him before gentling patting his back, his eyes becoming tender and a little hesitant.

 

"Daiki," He begins with a soft tone."Do your best but if it doesn't work out don't be disheartened, okay? Sometimes what you think is love might not be." He moves his hand from his son's back to his cheek and gives him a gentle smile. He looks sad as he looks at his son, it's been far too long since they have had a heart-to-heart like this. The last time being when Aomine was maybe about 12 years old. For the second time that day, Aomine feels guilt creep up in him. His behaviour for the last couple of years has hurt more people than he had intended to and that reality eats at him.

 

"Listen, Dad—"

 

"Touma!"

 

Aomine Himari's voice makes her son and husband's heads snap up, her blazing blue eyes focused on the later.

 

“Why on earth are you home right now?” Her voice booms from the doorway of their front door. Aomine watches as his father jumps up and grabs his briefcase by the side of the couch and runs over to the door.

 

“Just having a little chat with our son!” He squeaks as he gives his wife a quick kiss on the cheek and bolts out the door.

 

She rolls her eyes affectionately as she watches her husband rush down their street towards the train station. Turning back to her son, she closes the door behind her and walks further into her home. She’s carrying a bag of groceries and beckons for him to help her. With a sigh that earns him a sharp look, Aomine takes the bag from his mother and places it on the kitchen counter.

 

“So what were you talking about with your father?” She asks curiously as she unpacks fruits.

 

“Nothing much.” He replies as he takes out a packet of eggs.

 

She goes quiet and sniffs before looking at her tall son.

 

“Oh, so you can tell your father but not me?” She asks as her hands still on an orange, her eyes watery; her bottom lip trembling.

 

Aomine holds in a loud groan and instead releases a deep sigh.

 

“We were just talking about the _person_ I like.” He says carefully, he gives her a quick glance, wondering if she notices his use of a gender neutral word.

 

“Oh, what about her!?” She asks perking up immediately, her eyes clearing up almost instantaneously.

 

He deflates at her use of the _her_ , but shakes it off with a disinterest shrug. _Maybe that’s a good thing._

 

“He just gave me some pointers.” He says as he puts away the eggs and pulls out the bread.

 

“Oh? What were they?”

 

He summaries his father’s advice while his mother nods and laughs at some of his tips. They finish packing away the groceries as they chat, his mother telling him anecdotes about how she and his father got together, how it was for her when she first came to Japan and how learning the language was difficult but her friends really helped her. And how his dad was a complete idiot that she somehow managed to fall for.

 

“So you didn’t like him at first?” He asks as he bites into a sandwich she made him.

 

“Like him? Ha! I couldn’t stand him! Touma was a complete idiot who thought he could compete with me. He made everything into a challenge, who could eat the fastest, who could run up these stairs fastest, who could get a higher grade at an exam etc. Of course _I_ won every single time and I guess seeing him try made me want to beat him even more.” She says with an affectionate sigh.

 

Aomine grunts in reply still chewing.

 

“Oh!” She says as she remembers something. Her smile is soft and slow, her eyes hazy as she looks back into her memories.

 

“No, there was _one_ time he managed to beat me. And well, I guess I kinda fell for him after that!” She says with a blush, a hand on her rosy brown cheeks.

 

Aomine chokes on his sandwich, his own cheeks going red as he gapes at his mother. She slams a hand down on his back to help him through it as he reaches out for his glass. Quickly downing some water, he slams on his chest to stop his choking.

 

"Daiki, are you alright!?" His mother exclaims, pulling his face towards her once the worst of it is over. She looks over him with worry and then confusion as she takes in his red cheeks.

 

"Why are you blushing?" She asks as he tries to get his face out of her deadly grip. Her mention of it makes his cheeks go even redder and she gasps as it clicks in her head.

 

"Is that how it is with your sweetheart!?" She asks, her dark blue eyes lighting up like she's in her own version of The Zone. As excited as she is, she lets go of her son's face and gives him some space. The smile on her face is warm and loving. She chuckles as she pulls out some meat from their fridge.

 

"Good luck with your love, Daiki." She says with a wink. "I'll be rooting for you♡!"

 

He blinks at her as she turns away from him, humming as she begins preparing a meal. He grunts as he takes his half eaten sandwich with him and leaves the kitchen to watch TV, a small smile pulling across his face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a shot everytime Aomine groans in this fic ~~I'm kidding please don't~~ I really love Aomine which is why I'm focusing so much on his interactions with friends and family, as it's heavily hinted that he was depressed in the anime. His disinterest in something he loves, his constant sleeping, him isolating himself from his friends and family all being signs of depression. I just want the best for my Virgo son ♡ But don't worry, there will be aokaga interaction in the next chapter so please stay tuned (´,,•ω•,,)♡
> 
> p.s let me know what you think of this chapter down below ଘ(੭ˊ꒳ˋ)੭｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆


	4. birds of prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the next chapter! All aboard the hype train let's goooooo (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

On the day of the practise match, Aomine is feeling good. He feels  _ excited _ , which is no small feat for the basketball prodigy. Kagami is exciting, he’s a challenge, a fire that keeps on roaring; that keeps on trying to consume him and every time they play, he gets a little bit closer to doing so. 

 

Aomine actually sits up in class, sure, he’s not paying attention, but it’s a start. His head is filled with game strategy, moves and tactics to use against Kagami. The last time they had played one-on-one it resulted in Aomine’s overwhelming victory and he knows that Kagami knows that; knows that he’s going to bring his a-game; going to do everything in his power to prove that him beating him at the Winter Cup wasn’t a fluke.

 

And the thought of Kagami doing the same, going over plans to beat him; just thinking about him at all, makes goosebumps break all over his skin.

 

He hasn’t felt this alive in a long time.

 

When the school day is over, Aomine wastes no time going to the gym, much to the surprise of his teammates. He’s actually one of the first people there and as a result has to deal with a wide-eyed Wakamatsu who looks like he’s seeing a miracle performed right before his very eyes.

 

“Aomine? On time? What’s going on?” He says, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

 

The boy rolls his eyes as he stretches, choosing to ignore his senpai for once.

 

“Now, now, Wakamatsu.” Imayoshi says with his signature creepy grin. “Even a broken clock is sure to be right twice a day.” He chuckles lightly as he watches Aomine with knowing eyes.

 

Aomine refocuses on his stretches, once again ignoring comments to set himself on what really matters. A match with Kagami. He closes his eyes and breathes slowly, letting any distraction ease out of his body as more Touou members file into the gym.

 

Seirin will be here soon and he needs to be ready to welcome Kagami.  _ According to Satsuki, at least. _

 

_ Speak of the devil.. _

 

“Feeling nervous, Dai-chan?” Her melodic voice calls out to him.

 

_ And she shall appear.  _

 

“Get real, Satsuki. Since when have I ever been nervous about a practise match?” He replies, rolling his shoulders.

 

“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.” Satsuki says, with a coy grin.

 

He tsks in response as he takes a swig of his water bottle. 

 

“Whatever.”

 

She giggles and it makes feel warm, he’s  _ really  _ over being embarrassed over this whole thing.

 

“I’m not. I just gotta be nice and ask for his number, no big deal.”

 

Satsuki is about to reply when there’s a small raucous from the doorway. The doors open wide and one of Seirin’s members stumbles in clutching his stomach and laughing like a mad man. He’s their number 6, Jack of All Trades, Koganei Shinji.

 

“K-k-kagami can’t get anymore hyped up than this!” He says wiping tears from his eyes. Other Seirin members file in, all in varying stages of laughter. The second years are chuckling while the other first years are laughing as maniacally as Koganei. Even Kuroko is covering his mouth in an attempt to hide his mirth.

 

Kagami is pulled into the gym by his ear by his furious captain. He’s grumbling at the pain and leaning down awkwardly as he walks beside her.

 

“Property damage already, Bakagami!?” Aida Riko chastises, twisting his ear further like an exasperated mother.

 

Coach Harasawa and Imayoshi walk over to greet them; Aida bows and forces Kagami to do the same. Satsuki motions to Aomine and they both walk over to join the small commotion.

 

“Please accept our deepest apologies for the destruction of Touou property.” Riko says while bowing, “Our resident idiot got too excited while trying to find the gym.”

 

“It’s not my fault the door was so flimsy—” Kagami grits out before he’s silenced with a swift kick from his coach.

 

“He will of course be paying for it, from  _ his own pocket _ .” Riko adds with a smile, twisting Kagami’s ear even more.

 

Aomine smirks as he stands to face Kagami.

 

“You got so excited to see me you broke a door? I’m touched, Kagami.”

 

Kagami looks up at him from his uncomfortable position with a eager grin on his face.

 

“Eager to beat you.” He says with his usual fire. It makes Aomine’s heart race.

 

“Get real, Bakagami.” He says sticking a finger in his ear. “But if you ask nicely, I’ll go easy on you.”

 

“Yeah right! Like I’d accept that.” Kagami says with more fire, abruptly raising up to his full height to stand squarely up to Aomine, unfortunately taking Riko with him. She grips an arm around his neck as her feet dangle in the air.

 

“PUT ME DOWN BAKAGAMI!” She roars, swinging her leg back and ramming it into the back of Kagami’s knee.

 

He winces as he lowers his coach to the ground with a hand on her waist, a detail that doesn’t escape Aomine’s notice. The rest of Seirin break out in laughter once more, especially Koganei who looks like he’s about to pass out. That is until their captain sends them a scathing glare, one that makes them all send up straight and cut their laughter short.

 

“Well, shall we play some basketball?” Coach Harasawa says, clapping his hands together with good spirit. 

 

Aomine looks on with a grin as he watches Kagami and his team walk over to the benches that have been set up for them. A few of his fellow first years are teasing him, poking fun at his scolding. He grunts at them with irritation, before grinning and chuckling at something one of them says. It’s the smile that makes Aomine’s heartbeat off rhythm, the one that makes sparks rake up and down his spine.

 

“It’s rude to stare, Aomine-kun.”

 

He jolts at the sound of Tetsu’s voice and looks to his right to see him being glomped by an overeager Satsuki. The fact that he didn’t even hear Satsuki’s trademark sequel when she noticed Kuroko, is testament to how hard he’s fallen for Kagami. It takes him a full minute to respond to his friend’s comment as his brain scrambles to shake Kagami’s smile out of his head.

 

“I wasn’t.” He says lamely, but Satsuki and Tetsu’s smiles are evidence enough that they don’t believe him. 

 

“Tsk, whatever.” He says looking away from them and at some lint on his jersey.

 

“There’s no need to be nervous, Aomine-kun. It’s only a practise match and you did surprisingly well greeting Kagami-kun.” Kuroko says with haggard breath, “Momoi-san, you are making it quite difficult to breath.”

 

“I’m not nervous.” Aomine says with a low growl.

 

Satsuki lets go of Kuroko and giggles, “It’s true Tetsu-kun, he’s the opposite. He’s so excited he was one of the first people here.”

 

Aomine scowls at her.

 

“Love is a beautiful thing, Momoi-san.”

 

“It truly is, Tetsu-kun.” She replies with a dreamy sigh.

 

“Both of you cut it out!” Aomine says a little louder than necessary, causing a couple of heads turn in their direction. Namely Kagami’s, which snaps up from tying his sneakers, his eyes on Aomine with curiousity. Having Kagami's attention on him makes Aomine heart race even faster and his cheeks pinken ever so slightly.

 

"Oh? You're blushing, Aomine-kun. How rare." 

 

"I told you! He's head over heels for Kagamin." Satsuki whispers conspiratorially, though Aomine can hear her clear as day. 

 

"I believe  _ head over sneakers _ is a better way of putting it." Kuroko replies in the same quiet voice. 

 

"Kyaa~ Good one, Tetsu-kun!" She says with a giggle. 

 

_ I really shouldn't have told them anything. _

 

"Now, now, Aomine-kun. Don't think that, we are only teasing you. We won't do anything to sabotage your quest for love."

 

"Think what." Aomine grunts back at him, rolling his neck in circles in an attempt to get back to his warm up.

 

"That you shouldn't have told us about your affections for Kagami-kun."

 

"How did you —"

 

"It's written all over your face." Kuroko cuts him off with a small smile.

 

Aomine tsks again, his eyes narrowing in a glare, "Quit reading it then. Both of you. Let's just get this practise match started already."

 

The pair flash him a thumbs up and Kuroko returns to his teammates. Satsuki and Aomine head over to the Touou bench and listen to the instructions from Coach Harasawa, well Satsuki does at least. Aomine focuses on his breathing and the match that is about to begin. He thinks about going into The Zone again with Kagami and sparks run up his spine again. He doesn't even realise he's smiling until Wakamatsu blurts it out.

 

"Aomine smiling? Coach, I think something is wrong with him. Sakurai take him to the infirmary." 

 

"Eh? Umm...yes, okay!" Sakurai says as he begins to make his way over to Aomine.

 

"I'm fine." Aomine says coldly, a glare directed at his senpai. 

 

"He's just excited to make up for our last encounter with Seirin. Isn't that right, Aomine?" Imayoshi says with his fox like smile.

 

"Right." He replies curtly.  _ Great, creepy glasses guy knows too.  _ He spares a glance at Satsuki but knows that she'd never tell him anything. Imayoshi probably figured it out for himself, in his own creepy way.

 

"Let's play." Coach Harasawa says and the Touou members walk onto the court to face their opponents. Their starting members are Imayoshi, Susa, Wakamatsu, Sakurai and of course Aomine. They position themselves on the court with Aomine in the centre for the tip off.

 

He watches, with a smirk on his face, as Seirin do the same and bristles with anticipation as Kagami stands before him in the centre. His eyes are ablaze already, before their match has even begun. 

 

“Ready to lose, Kagami?” Aomine says, his smirk widening as they lock eyes.

 

“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Kagami replies with his brows furrowed, "I have to repay you for the last time we played one-on-one."

 

"Oh, you mean the time I wiped the floor with you?" Aomine says, teasing Kagami is just too much fun. 

 

"You didn't—" Kagami begins to say but he's cut off by his captain.

 

"Would you two stop flirting so we can play basketball?" Hyūga Junpei says with a roll of his shoulders. Aomine feels his cheeks heat up as a couple of Seirin members chuckle, while Kagami's eyes widen and he snaps his head bag in mild anger.

 

"I wasn't!"

 

"There will be plenty of time to flirt with Aomine-kun after the practise match, Kagami-kun." Kuroko says from beside him, the slightest smile on his face.

 

"Kuroko!"   
  


"Tetsu!"

 

The two power forwards bark out at the same time, both glaring daggers at the phantom sixth man. More Seirin members laugh as well as some members of Touou, namely Imayoshi and Wakamatsu with his hyena like guffaw. Satsuki moves to stand adjacent to the them as she gets ready to initiate the tip off, giggling as she does so. Aomine sends her a glare and she winks in return. With a blow of Coach Harasawa's whistle, she throws the basketball in the air and the game begins. 

* * *

 

Just like before, being in The Zone with Kagami is something else.

 

It's  _ breathtaking. _

 

They follow each other like birds of prey across the vast expanse of the sky, two predators fighting for dominance. Kagami's eyes run over Aomine with the pinpoint accuracy of a military machine, trying in all earnest to read his bizarre movements. At some points he manages to do so, cutting into Aomine's plays and snatching the basketball with fluidity and ease. Other times, it's not so simple, Aomine runs across the court like a panther on the prowl and, as if they are in the jungle in the dead of night, his movements are so brilliant they are impossible to even track as if he's under the camouflage of the night sky. He breaks into Kagami's plays with the same ferocity, taking the ball back like it's his divine right. 

 

But Kagami is a  _ tiger _ , so he does what tigers do best. He lies in waiting, waiting for the slightest chink in Aomine's armour and only when he finds it, does he bare his fangs. He breaks away, trying to catch Aomine off guard as he attempts to make a shot. He comes close, too close, but Aomine manages to redirect it into a formless shot at the last second. The whistle blows and it heralds the end of the second quarter. 

 

"Damnit!" Kagami pants as he comes down from his jump, he lifts his training bib to wipe the sweat from his face,"I was so close." 

 

_ I should compliment him now, right?  _ Aomine's mind scrambles to find something not-too mocking to say. It's hard though, being in The Zone takes a lot out of him.

 

"I'm impressed, Kagami. Ten more years and you might be a challenge for me." He says with a grin. Somewhere behind him he hears Satsuki sigh.  _ What? I did my best! _

 

But Kagami turns to him with a determined look on his face. "I'll make you eat those words, Aomine."

 

"Hah? I'd like to see you try." Aomine says with fire in his veins. He wants to say something more but he's interrupted. 

 

"Bakagami! Get back to the bench!" His coach shouts from across the court and Kagami's head snaps up like an obedient house pet at the sound of it. He runs back to Seirin without any more words for Aomine, who tsks at the sight of him giving a half-assed apology to his fuming coach who gives him a smack on the arm with no real weight to it. 

 

_ Is she into him _ ?

 

"You don't have to worry, Dai-chan! Riko is dating Hyūga Junpei." Satsuki whispers from beside him. He jolts at the sudden intrusion of her voice, eyeing her for reading his mind again. 

 

"Get out of my head, Satsuki." He says taking his bottle of water from her as they walk to Touou's bench. 

 

"I'm not in your head, what you're thinking is written all over your face." She replies with a smile, "I never thought you'd be the possessive type, Dai-chan. It's so cute!"

 

"Gross, Satsuki." He says before drinking some water. She giggles as they reach the bench before she relays her plan of action to the team and their coach.

* * *

 

Touou win the practise match by 25 points, a stark difference to their match at the Winter Cup. Seirin fought brilliantly as usual, Hyuga and Sakurai going head-to-head in a three pointer battle, Wakamatsu and Kiyoshi fighting for rebounds, Kuroko passing like lightning and of course, Aomine and Kagami in The Zone. Both teams gave it their all, but in the end, away from the pressure of competition and on their home turf, Touou emerged the victors. 

 

As the game ends and both teams walk off the court back to their benches, Satsuki shoots Aomine a look, one that clearly signals for him to make his move. But right now,  right after a game? When he's sweaty and stinks like high hell? How could this possibly be the time to ask for Kagami's number? So he ignores her looks and packs his stuff away with his teammates, putting away the benches much to their surprise and helping clear away the basketball hoop. Seirin finish their own clearing up and wait patiently for Coach Harasawa to see them off. When he does so, they all bow before exiting the gym, not before some of them wave goodbye, like Koganei and even Hyuga who has started something of a friendly rivalry with Sakurai. Aomine gives Tetsu a lazy wave and Kagami a teasing eyebrow raise, who in return grunts at him. Seirin leave and the other Touou members go back to clearing away the gym.

 

A sharp smack on his arm makes Aomine wince and he scowls down at Satsuki who looks back at him crossly with her hands on her hips.

 

"Dai-chan! What was the point of all our preparation if you were just going to run away like that!" She says, her pretty face marred by her angry look. 

 

"Oi! I didn't run away, now just wasn't the right time." He says with a shrug, it's a pathetic excuse and they both know it. 

 

"You ran away, Dai-chan! We set up the perfect opportunity for you and you blew it!" Satsuki goes on, not letting him brush it off like he wants to.

 

"I don't even have a pen or paper!" He replies stubbornly, getting irritated himself. It's another lame excuse as he's really just grasping at straws. But what was he supposed to do? What if he had asked for Kagami's number and he got brushed off in front of everybody like some loser? What would he do then?

 

Satsuki sighs, dropping her shoulders wearily, "Do you really want to get closer to Kagamin? Or are you going to let fear ruin your chances?" She says, her voice sharp and no-nonsense.

 

Aomine sighs himself, Satsuki is right as usual. He's blown his chance and now he feels guilty that all the planning that she, Tetsu and Kise went through was for naught. Before he can say anything however, the gym door bursts open and slams against the wall behind it. Kagami blinks from the open doorway and at least has the decency to look sheepish.

 

"Uh sorry, I didn't mean to open it like that." He says scratching the back of his head. The expression on his face is one Aomine hasn't seen before and it makes his knees feel like jelly. 

 

"Really, Kagami-kun? That's exactly how you broke the first one." Comes Kuroko's voice from behind him. Kagami swivels his head back in annoyance to regard his shorter friend. 

 

"I said I didn't mean to!" He barks back.

 

"Please excuse me, Kagami-kun." Kuroko says, walking past him and into the gym. "We don't have much time before our bus ride." 

 

Kagami follows him grumpily and Aomine's mind tears itself apart trying to work up the courage to just ask him for his number, he's got a second chance and he can't let it go to waste.

 

"Momoi-san," Kuroko says, stopping before her. "I forgot to get my book back from you." He says blankly.

 

Ever observant as she is, Satsuki doesn't waste time playing along. "Oh! I forgot too, Tetsu-kun! Come, my bag is over here!" She leads him away quickly, stopping only to give Aomine a warning glance that screams  _ just do it!! _

 

"You plan to break doors everytime you come here, Bakagami?" Aomine says stretching absentmindedly. 

 

"Shut it, Ahomine! It was a mistake, a one time thing!" Kagami replies with a scowl.

 

"Just like you beating me." Aomine replies with a smirk.

 

Kagami bristles and he glares at Aomine with brilliant red fire.

 

"Don't count on it, Aomine. The next time we play, I'll make you admit that me beating you wasn't a fluke." 

 

"Yeah, whatever." He replies with a faux yawn. "When will that be anyway?"

 

"Huh?" Kagami blinks and tilts his head slightly.  _ Fuck, don't be cute right now, Bakagami!  _ "Uh, I don't know? Next time we have a practise match? Spring High, maybe?" He says with a shrug. 

 

_ Now! I gotta ask him now! _

 

"Give me your number so we can play sooner than that," Aomine says, feigning nonchalance. "If I don't practice with you, you'll be even worse by the time the Spring High rolls around." 

 

Kagami scoffs but pulls out a marker from his bag. "Yeah right, if anything I'm the one keeping you on your toes." He says as he scribbles his number on Aomine's hand, who warms up at the physical contact. 

 

"Don't text me for no reason or I'll block you." Kagami says as he puts the marker back in his bag. Kuroko comes back before Aomine can say anything else and he and Kagami leave with quick goodbyes, most noticeably a small thumbs up from Kuroko to Aomine who brushes it off with an embarrassed grunt. When the gym door shuts behind them, Satsuki lets out a squeal and jumps, latching onto Aomine with unbridled joy. She's gushing, going on about how cute their interaction was and congratulating him on taking the first big step. 

 

But Aomine can't even hear her. 

 

All he can do is look at Kagami's number written on his hand; feeling it tingle as his mind replays their hands touching over and over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smitten Aomine is so much fun to write, have I said that before? Idk probably but it's true!! He'd 100% be the possessive type, without a shadow of a doubt, I'm sure of it! He's also not as slick as he thinks he is or perhaps Imayoshi is just too sharp? Creepy glasses senpai that I actually love (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ I am really enjoying how the pace of this fic is going but please let me know how you, dear reader feel about it too. Please let me know your thoughts with a comment below, I really aprreciate them so much! Anyhow, thank you so much for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter ʕ๑ᵔᴥᵔ๑ʔ ～♡♡♡


	5. mashi burger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost been two months, please forgive me (シ_ _)シ what can I say apart from: life ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ But rest assured I will complete this fic ʕ๑✧ᴥ✧๑ʔ !! I will not just leave it hanging. So please continue to bare with me and I hope you enjoy this chapter ♡♡

Getting Kagami’s number is one thing.

 

Actually working up the courage to text him is another, and finding the right thing to say is _yet_ another. Which is why Aomine is grumbling to himself, laid on his bed as he types out, erases and rewrites a text for Kagami. It’s fucking stupid, this should be easy but it’s so fucking hard! What should he say? Should he ask to play one-on-one? Or is that too direct? Should he say hi first? Should he risk it and tease him? But Kagami said he’d block him if he texted him for no reason. But did he really mean that? He groans in frustration, as he presses his face into his pillow. None of this should be so hard, it’s just a text. It doesn’t mean much, right? Wrong. Texting is going to be him primary form of contact with Kagami so he has to make a good first impression; set the groundworks for their relationship. Sighing deeply, he opts instead to text Satsuki, praying that she can help him with his predicament.

 

 **Aomine** : _yo satsuki_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Hmm? (*'ω'*)_

 

 **Aomine** : _what do i say?_

 

 **Satsuki** : _To who? (・・ ) ?_

 

 **Aomine** : _bakagami, what do i write in the text?_

 

 **Aomine** : _like what do i say to him?_

 

 **Satsuki** : _YOU HAVEN’T TEXTED HIM YET? DAI-CHAN IT'S ALMOST BEEN A WEEK!?!? Σ('◉⌓◉’)_

 

 **Aomine** : _I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY!!_

 

When Satsuki doesn’t reply for a few minutes, Aomine gets a little antsy. He checks his phone again but there's still no response.

 

 **Aomine** : _SATSUKI!_

 

Without replying to his message, Satsuki instead adds him to the group chat: _Catch A Tiger By The Toe_.

 

 **Kise** : _Really, Aominecchi? U haven't made a move, yet?!_ _ヽ((◎д◎　))ゝ_

 

 **Tetsu** : _I have to say, I too, am surprised that you haven't made contact yet, Aomine-kun. You aren't sending very good signals Kagami-kun's way_ _(￣ー￣)_

 

 **Kise** : _Hmm, maybe it's a good thing though, Kurokocchi! This way he doesn't seem too desperate (๑•̀ㅁ•́๑)✧!!_

 

 **Satsuki** : _But now he seems too nonchalant!! Kagami-kun probably doesn't even remember giving him his number now  Σ(°△°|||)_

 

Aomine scowls at his phone before he starts trying to defend himself.

 

 **Aomine** : _just tell me what to say!_

 

 **Tetsu** : _It’s really not that difficult, Aomine-kun. Why can’t you just ask him to play one-on-one. Isn’t that the excuse you used to get his number in the first place?_

 

 **Aomine** : _yeah_

 

 **Aomine** : _but i don’t want it to seem like that’s all i care about, u guys said i shouldn’t be nonchalant right?_

 

 **Aomine** : _so how do i make it sound like i want to more than just a quick game??_

 

 **Kise** : _Aominecchi, I’m so moved ˚✧₊⁎❝᷀ົཽ≀ˍ̮ ❝᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ I didn’t realise you were thinking about this so deeply!!_

 

 **Tetsu** : _Aomine-kun is indeed maturing d(￣ ￣)_

 

 **Aomine** : _just tell me what to say_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Ask him to play one-on-one but then use it as bait to ask him on a date!_

 

Aomine panics as he reads Satsuki’s text. A date? Already? Isn’t that going too fast?

 

 **Tetsu** : _Calm down, Aomine-kun. Momoi-san is simply saying you should make a sort of wager that will guarantee you spend more time together._

 

 **Aomine** : _so like loser pays for maji burger?_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Exactly（＾ω＾）!!_

 

 **Aomine** : _ok i can do that_

 

 **Kise** : _Do it now, Aominecchi ^_^_

 

 **Aomine** : _k fine_

 

Taking a deep breath, Aomine opens up a new message for Kagami, he types quickly not giving himself time to second guess his decision.

 

 **Aomine** : _bakagami 1-on-1 friday 5pm_

 

 **Aomine** : _loser pays for mashi burger_

 

After pressing send on his second message, dread sets in as he realises his spelling error. In a panic, he reopens the groupchat to see what to do.

 

 **Aomine** : _i fucked up_

 

 **Tetsu** : _What did you do Aomine-kun (￣ー￣)?_

 

 **Aomine** : _i spelt maji wrong_

 

He quickly switches back to the message screen to see if that was his only sin and his panic intensifies as he sees that Kagami has read his message

 

 **Aomine** : _HE’S READ IT WHAT DO I DO!?_

 

 **Tetsu:** _You misspelt ‘Maji’?（＾ν＾）_

 

 **Kise** : _AAHAHAHSGSHSHHSHSH AOMINECCHI THIS IS TOO FUNNY_

 

 **Satsuki** : _Dai-chan how did you manage to mess that up!?(　ﾟдﾟ)_

 

 **Aomine** : _it was an accident!!_

 

A message from Kagami pops up and Aomine almost drops his phone in panic.

 

 **Kagami** : _u mean maji burger, ahomine? didn’t know you couldn’t spell_

 

Aomine grins at Kagami’s petty message and relaxes as he types out his reply, maybe texting Kagami will be easy than he originally thought.

 

 **Aomine** : _calm down bakagami, it was a little mistake. u game for friday??_

 

He holds his breath as he waits for Kagami’s reply, all the while ignoring the several message he gets from the groupchat, most are kaomoji that are probably just mocking him.

 

 **Kagami** : _yeah friday’s good, get ready to eat your words_

 

 **Aomine** : _only thing I’m eating is the maji burger ur paying for_

 

 **Kagami** : _dont you mean mashi burger?(ᕑᗢᓫ)_

 

Aomine feels at rush at the sight of Kagami using a kaomoji, something about it is incredibly cute. Especially since he’d never expect it from a 6ft2 scary guy like Kagami.

 

 **Aomine** : _u use kaomojis?_

 

 **Kagami** : _yeah, so what? they’re cute_

 

 _You’re fucking cute_ is what Aomine feels like typing, it’s crazy the excitement he feels at the slightest thing Kagami does, it’s a complete 180 from how he felt about the boy months ago, now all he can do is grin at his phone as he reads each message.

 

 **Aomine** : _a big guy like u using kaomojis, huh?_

 

 **Kagami** : _shut it, ahomine_.

 

Aomine chuckles, he can imagine Kagami getting embarrassed and lashing out at his teasing. The thought makes him warm.

 

 **Aomine** : _dont get ur panties twisted, it’s cute_

 

He realises what he typed too late and jolts up on his bed as he rereads his text. He wrote it as a reflex and there’s no way he can delete it.

 

 **Kagami** : _shut up, come friday you’ll be the one with ur panties twisted_

 

Aomine relaxes at Kagami’s reply and smirks as he texts back.

 

 **Aomine** : _u wish bakagami_

 

Texting Kagami isn’t as difficult as he thought, hell it's freaking easy and so much fun. Feeling emboldened, he types out a question for Kagami.

 

 **Aomine** : _u cook rite?_

 

 **Kagami** : _yeah why?_

 

 **Aomine** : _can u make karaage?_

 

 **Kagami** : _yeah why?_

 

_God, he’s perfect_

 

 **Aomine** : _just checking_

 

 **Kagami** : _i’m not cooking for you, ahomine_

 

 **Aomine** : _oi y not? don’t be stingy bakagami_

 

 **Kagami** : _no_

 

 **Aomine** : _come on, i’ll give u sum sneakers im not using_

 

He snickers to himself as he sees the speech bubble that indicates that Kagami is typing, most likely considering the preposition.

 

 **Kagami** : _how can i trust u...(´≖ ‸ ≖)_

 

 **Aomine** : _oi, who gave u the pair u needed for the winter cup finals??_

 

 **Kagami** : _technically it was Momoi-san_

 

 **Aomine** : _technically? big word for u bakagami_ _and just call her satsuki, momoi-san is weird_

 

 **Kagami** : _shut it, im not dumb like u. And Momoi-san is fine for me, i don’t know her that well_

 

 **Aomine** : _she won’t mind_

 

 **Kagami** : _so what, should I call u daiki?_

 

Feeling his skin heat up at Kagami merely typing out his name, Aomine slaps a hand over his face to try and expel his unbridled joy. It just feels too damn good to talk to him like this. He quickly regains his composure and tries to play it cool

 

 **Aomine** : _idc, call me whatever u want. your highness has a nice ring to it_

 

 **Kagami** : _get real, ahomine suits u just fine_

 

 **Kagami** : _i gotta make dinner, be there friday_

 

 **Kagami** : _and dont be late_

 

 **Aomine** : _make sure ur ready to entertain me bakagami, i dont want to get up for a boring game_

 

With that Kagami stops replying even though Aomine can see that he’s read the message. Putting his phone down, Aomine lays spread out on his bed and stares up at his ceiling. _He did it_ , he messaged Kagami, teased him, just finally managed to chat with him and it felt good, _really good._ Like it was right, like he and Kagami were two peas in a pod; two shoes to make a pair of sneakers. Too excited to have his usual nap, Aomine sits up and is about to leave his room before he gets a phone call from Satsuki.

 

“Dai-chan! What happened you stopped replying to the groupchat!” Satsuki’s shrill voice rings out loud and clear.

 

“Relax, I was just texting Kagami.” He replies, trying to sound nonchalant but he can hear the excitement on his voice. Satsuki squeals and he finds he’s too high on cloud nine to be irritated by the sound.

 

“What did you talk about ?? Tell me everything! No, wait, send me the screenshots!!”

 

“Just stuff.” Aomine says with a shrug, “We just talked.”

 

“Dai-chan, this is good! You’re finally making progress, even if it almost took you a week.”

 

Aomine tsks but doesn’t dispute her claim, “Anyway, I’ve gotta go Satsuki.”

 

“Huh? Where are you going?”

 

Aomine smiles like Satsuki has said something hilarious, it’s a smile he used to wear often as a child.

 

“To practise.”

 

The small, happy gasp that Satsuki lets out in response makes Aomine roll his eyes as he grabs a pair of sneakers and his basketball

 

“Talk to you later, Satsuki.”

 

“Have a great practise, Dai-chan!”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Unbeknownst to him, when Satsuki drops the phone, she squeals into her pillow, over the moon at Aomine’s sudden change for the better. She wastes no time in wiping out her phone again for some scheming

* * *

 

  
When Friday comes around, Aomine strolls to the court where they first met, trying to maintain a relaxed stride. But he’s far too excited to manage it completely, there’s a swagger in his step that borderlines on a skip and it’s all he can do to not run as fast as he can to reach Kagami.

 

He sees the object of his affections dribbling on the court. Kagami is perfectly focused, he fakes left against an invisible opponent, drives through an invisible team and leaps into the air for one of his gravity defying dunks. The slam of the ball through the net makes the stand groan at its ferocity.

 

Kagami floats back down to the air with his arms spread out before him like a music conductor, the court is his stage and he runs across it like a melody does across a stave. Aomine wants to watch him more, but the desire to join him wins out in the end and he saunters onto the court, cricking his neck as he does so.

 

"Yo, Bakagami."

 

Kagami swivels his head back as he hears his voice and the passion in his eyes makes heat flood through Aomine's veins. He feels his skin warming up, his cheeks no doubt a light pink. In just a few days his feelings for the redhead have grown exponentially and Aomine realises just how screwed he is. How is he supposed to play one-on-one when he's getting all blushy like some chick?

 

"Took you long enough." Kagami grunts, "I was just about to leave."

 

"Yeah right, " Aomine replies as he clears his throat in an attempt to regain composure. "That's why you were just dribbling across the court just now huh?"

 

"You were watching me?" Kagami says as he pick up his water bottle, he raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip.

 

_Shit, I probably sound like a creep._

 

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Bakagami. It's hard to ignore a redhead gorilla running around."

 

"Shut up!" Kagami barks in reply, his right eyebrow twitching.

 

_Idiot! Don't be mean to him!_

 

A voice that sounds suspiciously like Satsuki's berates him in his head for a few seconds while he struggles to get the conversation back to banter and away from insults.

 

"Chill, it was just a joke."

 

_Really?_

 

The next voice to chastise him sounds like Tetsu and Aomine sighs at his own stupidity.

 

"Whatever," Kagami says as he starts bouncing his ball, "Are we gonna play or what?"

 

"Let's get to it, I'm hungry for some Mashi Burger."

 

Kagami blinks then chuckles at the dumb joke, an action that really doesn't do Aomine's heart rate any favours. He grins and charges Aomine without warning, feign left, right, then left again before managing to past him. But lovestruck or not, Aomine isn't one to be taken lightly on the court and in the blink of an eye, he's neck-in- neck with Kagami and slamming the ball out of his hands when he attempts a dunk.

 

"I don't think so, Kagami. You'll have to do better than that."

 

"Oh, trust me. I'm just getting started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending just as things start getting good? How positively devilish of me, but that means you'll come back to see how their little 'date' turns out right? Right?∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ Geez, Aomine is smitten, huh? Boy can't stop blushing and getting flustered even though he has his cold bad boy reputation to live up to (≧▽≦)!! Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think ʕ ๑•ᴥ•๑ʔ ♡♡


	6. angels of love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Just managed to beat the 3 week mark for not updating! So happy to welcome you back to this fic and I hope you enjoyed this chapter ♡♡♡

Under the heat of the afternoon sun, two boys stand on the court. They watch each other like predators would prey, looking for the slightest chink in each other’s armor, the smallest gap in their defense.

 

Aomine finds it first and drives left with the basketball in his hand pounding against the court floor with the ferocity of a thundercloud. He fakes right, left, right, then left once more before breaking Kagami’s ankles for the fifth time that day. He throws the basketball into the air in a way that shouldn’t do anything but make it slam into the headboard of the basketball hoop, but like magic it bends to Aomine’s will and sails through the air and hoop with a beautiful swish.

 

After watching it slip through the net, Aomine turns back to his opponent with a lazy grin who in return twitches in irritation.

 

“My win _again_ , Kagami.”

 

He saunters to the basketball and dribbles it back into his hands with a fluid motion, before tossing it in the air to make it spin on his finger.

 

“One more game!” Kagami barks out undeterred. Aomine chuckles as he turns back to his crush.  

 

“I’m hungry, Bakagami. And you owe me lunch.” He says with a stretch, the ball still spinning dexterously on his finger.

 

“Just one more game!”  

 

The look on Kagami’s face screams determination and stubbornness. When Aomine doesn’t budge, instead opting to hold the ball under his arm and sticking another finger in his ear, the look on Kagami’s face falls to disheartened and his lip juts out ever so slightly. And _fuck_ , if it isn’t the cutest thing Aomine has ever seen in his life. With an embarrassed tsk at his own thoughts, he tosses the ball to Kagami who catches it with ease.

 

“One more game, then food.”

 

The smile that spreads across the redhead’s face makes butterflies swarm around in Aomine’s stomach. Kagami goes into game mode and before Aomine can have any more embarrassing thoughts, he whips around him and slams a powerful dunk through the hoop.

 

“What’s the matter, Ahomine? Can’t play right when you’re hungry?” Kagami sneers at him like an unruly child.

 

_Oh, it’s on._

 

“You wish, Bakagami. I was just distracted for a second.” Aomine replies, feigning a yawn before he bursts towards Kagami, getting into his space and getting the ball off of him with steps that almost look like break dancing.

 

In an instant, the fire between them reignites to the highest degree and they set off across the court, completely wrapped up in one another.

* * *

 

When they finish their game, Aomine’s win again, they walk to Maji Burger, all the while throwing insults and jabs at the other, though it’s mostly lighthearted and playful. Kagami is fun to tease and squabble with; just fun to be around. Entering the eatery, they order their food, which takes a lot longer than Aomine had expected, with Kagami ordering a mountain of burgers. The cashier looked completely unfazed by the order which speaks of how often Kagami is in their patronage.

 

“You eat a lot, huh?” Aomine says as they make their way to a booth.

 

“Shut up, I haven’t eaten much today.” Kagami replies as he drops his tray to the table, sits and tears open a burger wrapper. Aomine follows suit only with the slightest bit more grace. He watches Kagami eat, watches his cheeks puff like a chipmunk as he chews.

 

_Why he’s so fucking cute?_

 

“What?” Kagami asks with his mouth full, snapping him out of his dumb thoughts.

 

“What?” Aomine responds dumbly.

 

“You’re staring.”

 

_Fuck, think of something!_

 

“It’s just amazing you can eat all that food, is your stomach a black hole?”

 

_Jesus, Daiki do better than just fucking teasing him!_

 

“Shut up! At least I don’t sleep like a bear in hibernation! Momoi says you spend more time on your school roof sleeping than you do a classroom.” Kagami says before ripping into another burger.

 

“Oi, I get tired easily.” Aomine says back, he’s about to bite into his burger before Kagami’s words register within him. “Wait, since when are you talking to Satsuki?”

 

“Huh, oh..uh..just recently I guess? She got my number somehow and just starting texting me.”

 

“And you talk about me? I’m flattered.” Aomine says with a grin. Kagami scoffs as he rips open another burger.

 

“Get real, she just asks me a bunch of questions and basketball stuff.”

 

“Like what?” Aomine asks curiously, sitting up a little straighter.

 

“Random stuff,” Kagami replies with a shrug, “My favourite food, basketball team, hobbies, stuff like that. I guess she’s updating her profile on me or something.”

 

_Satsuki, you genius!_

 

“So, what are they?” Aomine tries to say casually, turning his eyes away from Kagami trying to play it cool, like he isn’t dying to know more about the boy.

 

“Huh? Oh..uh, cheeseburgers, the Chicago Bulls and surfing.”

 

“You surf?” Aomine says surprised.

 

“Yeah, beaches are all over LA so I learnt when I was a kid.”

 

“Hnn..” Aomine leans on his palm as he scarfs down some chips. “What’s LA like?”

 

Kagami looks at him surprised before he smiles and picks another burger from his mountain. “Hot, it can get _really_ hot. People are friendly and noisy, but fun to be around. There’s always something to do, a festival on, a music show to see, a streetball game to catch.”

 

He gets in to it, telling Aomine about America, about his favourite burger joints, his favourite sneaker shop, the basketball court where he met his brother and mentor and watched his first streetball game. Aomine listens attentively, catching on to every little thing Kagami does, the way his eyes twinkle or the way he shudders when he recounts the time he was attacked by a dog. It’s more endearing that he thought it be and his heart does these weird little thumps whenever Kagami smiles over a fond memory.

 

“So, why’d you move to Japan?” Aomine asks after finishing his own meal.

 

“My dad wanted me to learn more about my culture and stuff like that.” Kagami replies before grabbing his last burger.

 

“And your mum?”

 

“Don’t know her.”

 

Aomine sits up at this, “What?”

 

Kagami shrugs, “Never knew her, it's just me and my dad.”

 

“Oh.” Aomine doesn’t really know how to react, it's a question he just kinda stumbled on to, one that became more personal than he meant and he’s never really been the most delicate of people. “Sorry.”

 

“It’s fine.” Kagami responds with his cheeks stuffed, a cute look that melts away Aomine’s awkwardness.

 

“What’s your dad do?” He asks getting back to their conversation.

 

“He’s a consultant for a bunch of companies in America.”

 

“Consultant, huh? So you’re loaded?”

 

Kagami shrugs, “Well, my dad is I guess.”

 

“You’d have to be to be able to afford 30 burgers everyday.” Aomine replies eyeing the mountain of burger wrappers on Kagami’s tray.

 

“Shut up.” Kagami says but the words have no bite. “What about you?”

 

“Hnn?”

 

“What do your parents do? Hobbies? Favourite basketball team?”

 

Aomine grins, “Curious about me, bakagami?”

 

Kagami rolls his eyes as he scrunches up the last burger wrap and tosses it to the pile. “You asked me a bunch of questions so it’s your turn.” He leans back in to booth and crosses his arms. Aomine leans his chin back on his palm and smirks, his eyes catching the way Kagami's arms flex as he folds them.

 

“My old woman is a housewife, old man is a salary worker. Basketball, gravure idols, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

 

Kagami lets out a noise of disgust at the mention of his _hobby_ but then smirks at his mention of the Cavaliers, “Oh yeah? Hope their doing better since the last time they played against the Bulls.”

 

Aomine sneers back at him, “LeBron was off that day, that’s only reason you guys won.”

 

“Really? Were Kyrie and Iman having a bad day too?” Kagami replies with his own smirk.

 

“Did ya forget how badly Gibson fumbled the ball in the third quarter?”

 

Kagami bristles, “He was still recuperating from the game against the Lakers!”

 

“Uh huh, and what about Brooks in the last quarter? What injury made him miss that free throw?”

 

“It was a strategic move.” Kagami defends, Aomine scoffs shaking his head.

 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, bakagami.”

 

“I can prove it!” Kagami says, invigorated to defend his team. “I’ve got all the Bulls games recorded at my place.”

 

Aomine stills for a second, thinking about what Kagami has just said. _At my place._ Is Kagami inviting him over? To his apartment? Just the two of them? His heart races and he’s about to jump at the opportunity, but before he can, three meddlers make their presence known.

 

“How unusual to see you two together, Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko says with a small grin, a vanilla shake in his hands.

 

Aomine’s heart drops and his eyebrow twitches in irritation as Kuroko budges beside Kagami, forging his way onto the table (much to Kagami’s protest) and Satsuki and Kise also make their poor attempts at feigning surprise.

 

"Kagamin! Dai-chan! What a surprise!" Satsuki says as she puts her tray down and forces Aomine to scoot in so that she can sit beside him.

 

“What are you guys doing here?" Kise says as he follows Satsuki's lead, budging beside Kuroko, effectively squishing him beside Kagami before placing his own tray on the already overcrowded table. Aomine feels like flipping the table, everything had been going fine and of course, _of course_ the second he begins to make progress they all show up.

 

"What do you mean? I always come to Maji Burger." Kagami says a with a look of disdain, he looks uncomfortable with how squished into the fast food booth he is.

 

"So, what are you two talking about?" Satsuki asks with a wide smile, completely ignoring the glare Aomine is giving her.

 

“None of your business.” Aomine mutters, only to wince when Satsuki stamps on his foot.

 

“What the fuck, Satsuki!?” He shouts, drawing attention to them.

 

“Sorry, Dai-chan! I just thought there was a bug.”

 

“Yeah fucking right—”

 

“Why are you with Aominecchi, Kagamicchi?” Kise asks as he waves one of his fries in the air for dramatic effect. Kagami’s eyes follow the fried food before he registers that he’s been spoken to.

 

“Huh? Oh, we played one-on-one and got food after.”

 

“And the result?” Kuroko asks as he sips his vanilla shake.

 

“My overwhelming victory.” Aomine says simply. Kagami bristles at this, his eyes snapping away from Kise’s fries.

 

“Don’t make it sound like it was so easy!”

 

“It was, though.” Aomine says faking a yawn.

 

“Oh yeah? Then why did I manage to get a dunk past you in our last game.”

 

“Did you?” Aomine replies as he sticks a finger in his ear absentmindedly.

 

“You said it yourself, you were distracted.” Kagami says looking smug.

 

Aomine’s heart sinks, he feels the air shift as the three demons perk up at Kagami’s statement.

 

“Oh, _distracted_ was he?” Satsuki says devilishly.

 

Aomine’s heart drops even deeper as panic races up his spine.

 

“Whatever could have distracted you, Aomine-kun?” Kuroko asks just as sinisterly, they both enjoy teasing him far too much.

 

“The sun was in my eye” He says lamely, his facade of disinterest slowly fading.

 

“Mhmm, I’m sure it was the _sun_ , Aominecchi and not—Kagamicchi, stop stealing my food!” Kise whines as the boy in question takes some of his fries.

 

“I can’t help it, I’m hungry again.” He replies unapologetically.

 

“You just had like 30 burgers.” Aomine says, his panic and embarrassment subsiding.

 

“Shut it, I get hungry easy.” Kagami says before standing to exit the booth, making Kise and Kuroko shuffle out before he makes his way to order more burgers. When he’s out of earshot, Aomine whips his head back to the three musketeers of meddling.

 

“What the fuck are you guys doing?” He says with just a bit too much heat.

 

“Calm down, Dai-chan! We’re here to help!”

 

“We’re your angels of love!” Kise says, with Satsuki nodding in agreement. “Here to help you win his heart!”

 

“I don’t need any fucking angels!” Aomine almost yells. He quickly looks over his shoulder to make sure Kagami is unaware of their conversation. “I had everything under control before you decided to stick your noses where they don’t belong.”

 

“Are you sure about that, Aomine-kin? By the looks of things we came in the nick of time.” Kuroko says as he finishes his shake. “You were probably about to start arguing.”

 

“No, you didn’t.” Aomine snaps back, “And no we weren’t. We were talking about his favourite NBA team and he said he could prove me wrong over one of their games with the recording of the match he had at home.”

 

His three _angels of love_ look at him in surprise and then each other, before leaning across the table for a mini meeting.

 

“Could Aominecchi really not need our help?” Kise asked in a rather loud whisper.

 

“I’m not sure, for the most part he is being quite civil with Kagami-kun.” Kuroko replies.

 

“But it’s Dai-chan we’re talking about.” Satsuki interjects, “Remember how he almost blew the whole operation to get Kagamin’s number?”

 

“Oi, I’m right here.” Aomine says irritated at their little huddle. He checks over his shoulder again to see, Kagami waiting for his order.

 

“Listen, I don’t need help. Talking to Bakagami is easy.”

 

“This is coming from the guy who almost took a week to text him.” Kise says, Aomine ignores him.

 

“Look I’ve  got this, so scram—“

 

“Hmm,” Kuroko cuts in as he finishes his vanilla shake. “But what would you do when you get to his place?”

 

Aomine stills, “What are you talking about?”

 

“If it’s just you and Kagami, what would you do about it? Would you play it cool or act on your feelings? You have to think about this strategically, Aomine-kun.”

 

All three of them turn to look at him and their intense stares make him second guess himself, what would he do if it was just him and Kagami? He can barely focus when the idiot is around him so the what happens when it’s just the two of them? In his apartment, would he make a move and risk making a complete fool of himself?

 

“I—“

 

“Why’d you all look so serious?” Kagami asks suspiciously with a new tray stocked with more cheeseburgers. All four of them had been so enthralled in their conversation that they had failed to notice him turn back to their both and walk over with a puzzled look on his face.

 

Quick as ever, Kuroko responds without missing a beat.

 

"We were just discussing the likelihood of the Chicago Bulls winning the season.”

 

Upon hearing about his favourite team, Kagami’s suspicion melts away and he becomes uncharacteristically analytical as he drops his tray of only about 10 burgers down.

 

“I think they have a pretty good chance, though their game with the Lakers will be a decider.”

 

“Hah? Get real, Bakagami.” Aomine says, following Kuroko’s lead. “The way they played against the Celtics recently is evidence enough that they won’t make it far this season.”

 

“That doesn’t prove anything! The substitution in management is the only reason that game was off.”

 

“You sure do make a lot of excuses for them, huh, Bakagami?”

 

“They aren’t excuses, they’re facts!”

 

“Where’s your evidence?”

 

Kagami perks up at this, remembering his earlier mention of his evidence.

 

“I’ve got it all recorded at my apartment!”

 

“So, you’ve said.” Aomine says with a smirk, satisfied at the impressed looks of the three meddlers. “Well, since I can’t take your word for it, I guess I have to come over and see for myself.” He says, trying his best to come across as nonchalant which is hard to do when there are three shit-eating grins directed at him.

 

“Get ready to eat your words!” Kagami says victoriously as he stands back up and picks up his tray.

 

“What, right now Kagamicchi?” Kise asks, Kagami blinks and looks at him as if he had forgotten he was there.

 

“Huh? Yeah, I’ll just get a bag for my burgers.” He makes his way back to the counter without a second glance, eager to prove Aomine wrong. As he goes, Aomine turns to his angels.

 

“Aominecchi, this is your chance!” Kise says excitedly, while Satsuki claps her hands together.

 

“What’s your game plan, Aomine-kun?”

 

Aomine shrugs, “I’ll just go over to his place and watch a few games with him. No big deal.”

 

“Make sure you behave yourself, Dai-chan! Don’t go snooping around his home and don’t do anything perverted like secretly sniff any of his clothes!”

 

“What the fuck, Satsuki!? You need to quit it with all those shitty shōjo manga you read.” Aomine says with a disgusted look. Satsuki sticks her tongue out at him childishly.

 

“She’s right, Aomine-kun. This is a chance to establish yourself as a proper friend for Kagami-kun and if you make a good impression, he’ll invite you over again.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, good impression, got it.” Aomine says as he stands, making Satsuki shuffle out of the booth petulantly. Once he’s up, he stretches and slips his hands into his pockets just as Kagami walks back over with his burgers in a takeaway bag.

 

“Let’s go, Kagami.”

 

Kagami looks to their friends on the table with a slight quirk of his head, “You guys aren’t coming?”

 

Aomine snaps his eyes down to them, everything in his body language, facial expression and aura screaming at them to decline the offer although he hides it well beneath a blanket of disinterest.

 

“Can we, Kagamicchi!?” Kise asks, jumping up excitedly, completely ignoring Aomine’s venomous look.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Kagami says with a nod, heading for the exit as both Satsuki and Kuroko stand up.

 

“Kise, what the fuck!?” Aomine hisses, wanting nothing more than to kick his former teammate.

 

“Don’t worry, Aominecchi! It’s all part of the plan!” Kise says as he follows Kagami to the Maji Burger exit.

 

Kuroko and Satsuki follow as does Aomine begrudgingly, irritated beyond compare at how his time with Kagami has been derailed.

* * *

 

The group walk through Tokyo at their own pace, Satsuki and Kise dominating the conversation with Kuroko adding the occasional comment. Kagami walks beside him also adding the occasional word while Aomine trails behind them lazily, his hands in his pockets and his mood sour. The only thing keeping him at bay is how good Kagami looks from behind, the flex of his back muscles, the part when his hair stops on his neck, his long fingers as they sway by his sides.

 

Watching Kagami is something he can’t seem to stop doing, as mortifying as it sounds he could watch the boy for hours on end.

 

“Dai-chan!”

 

“Huh?”

 

He looks up to see Satsuki with her hands on her hips and a sly grin on her face.

 

“I said we’re leaving! But I guess you were too _distracted_ to hear me.”

 

Aomine tsks and looks at the rest of their group, when he sees Kuroko and Kagami having a separate conversation, he can’t help the verdant envy that wells up on his gut.

 

“Tetsu-kin and I are going to study so I guess it will just be you and Kagamin!”

 

Kagami looks up at the mention of his name and Aomine’s eyes catch his for the briefest moment. He feels a rush of heat the contact and internally groans; the whole shōjo manga romantic giddiness he feels around Kagami is getting old.

 

“And I have to meet up with Kasamatsu-senpai!” Kise says as he checks his phone. “He’s right around the corner so I’ll be off!” He waves at them before turning on his heels down the street opposite them, but before he gets too far he looks back with a grin and cups a hand around his mouth.

 

“Enjoy your movie date, Aominecchi, Kagamicchi!”

 

Try as he might to stop it, Aomine feels the embarrassed warmth fill his cheeks and scowls at Kise as he runs off like the wind.

 

“Stupid Kise…” He mutters as he turns back to the remaining three teens.

 

“I’m gonna get him back for that for sure.” Kagami says through gritted teeth. His irritation at Kise’s joke makes Aomine feel a bit of discomfort; he’d secretly hoped Kagami would be more inclined to the idea.

 

“We should go too, Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun. Please enjoy the rest of your evening.” Kuroko says before he too turns down another street.

 

Satsuki says her own quick goodbye to Kagami before doing the same to Aomine and giving him a look that says _this is a huge opportunity for you don’t mess it up Dai-chan!_

 

She waves to them as she and Kuroko cross the street and head down one of Tokyo’s many roads. After that, the remaining pair continue their trek towards Kagami’s home as the sky begins to set above them; lucid yellow melting with dusty pink.

 

Relieved that it’s finally just the two of them again, Aomine spares Kagami a sidelong glance, taking in his calm expression; his relaxed jaw and red eyes that take on the world around him. Before he can look away however, Kagami locks eyes with him.

 

“You’re staring again.”

 

Aomine snaps his head back to the street ahead of him, his mind scrambling for an excuse to give.

 

“Your eyebrows are weird.”

 

_Smooth, Daiki._

 

Kagami makes a little angry noise that’s far cuter than he probably intended it to be.

 

“ _Your_ eyebrows are weird.”

 

“Mine don’t split into two at the end like some weird bug.”

 

“I can’t help the way my eyebrows are, bastard!” Kagami grumbles as he reaches into his pocket to retrieve his keys. They around a corner and come upon a medium sized apartment building.

 

“You ever tried trimming them?” Aomine teases with a grin.

 

Kagami scoffs in reply, “Do I look like a woman to you?”

 

They reach the entrance to his apartment and before Aomine can give his snarky reply Lady Luck turns against him once more in his hour of need.

 

“I was hoping to run into you, _Taiga_.”

 

Aomine feels like slamming his head against a wall at _yet_ another interruption to his time with Kagami. He looks back, with his disdain clear as day to see the smug face of Kagami’s other rival and _brother_ : Himuro Tatsuya.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohohohoho, I leave you hanging for 3 weeks and then I leave you on a cliffhanger! I'm positively devilish I know ʕ✧ᴥ✧ʔ↝. This chapter was super fun to write: I won't stop saying this but smitten Aomine is sooooo much fun to write and the banter between them is just the best. I've been rewatching knb and every aokaga moment has me over the moon, I love their dynamic so much. Oh, but I should mention that I know fuck all about the NBA, I just googled team matches and worked with what I got and I used real basketball players because ⓵There is an episode where Imayoshi mentions Shaq and ⓶ I don't have the brainpower to make up names. Aaanyway, thank you so much for reading this and please let me know what you thought of this chapter ʕ๑•ᴥ•๑ʔ ♡♡
> 
> p.s shoutout to velvetcocaine on tumblr for sending me such a cute message over this fic! It really made me smile so much ♡


	7. little fighter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been awhile, huh? Here’s the next chapter ♡:

Third wheel doesn’t even begin to describe how Aomine feels. Maybe this is what it’s like for Tetsu; being able to blend in so perfectly with the furniture that he loses his sense of presence and becomes invisible.  

 

Honestly, Aomine wouldn’t mind that. As creepy as it may sound, he wouldn’t mind just sitting and watching Kagami go about his business as if he weren’t there; wouldn’t mind just seeing the boy in his own space, as natural as he could be. 

 

But _no._

 

He has to sit and watch as Kagami goes about his business with his _conjoined twin_ attached to him. 

 

He doesn’t know Himuro Tatsuya very well, has seen glimpses of him from the matches of Yōsen he’s watched and is vaguely aware of some sort of rivalry-type thing between him and Kagami, but from what he’s seen from the guy so far, he doesn’t like him.

 

_Not one bit._

 

He’s too touchy, _waaay_ too touchy, like a fucking parasite and the way he says Kagami’s name like that: “ _Taiga~”_ is fucking gross. What’s more, it’s devastating the way Kagami’s head snaps towards him in response, his face breaking into a grin whenever Himuro says something in English. 

 

Which he won’t stop fucking doing.

 

Aomine hasn’t even been in Kagami’s apartment for up to 10 minutes but he’s already done and ready to go home. He thinks about it, and even gets up from Kagami’s couch to make his way to his genkan; he’ll just leave. They’re so wrapped up in each other they probably won’t even notice he’s gone.

 

“You leaving, Ahomine?” Kagami asks from his kitchen entryway, as Aomine begins to head for the door. He looks the slightest bit upset, his caterpillar eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Aomine can’t find it in him to carry out his escape, Kagami’s stupid, beautiful face forcing him to reconsider.

 

“Nah, I just need a leak. Where’s your toilet.” Aomine says nonchalantly, when Kagami’s face brightens he feels it in his chest.

 

“It’s on your right.” Kagami replies and as Aomine grunts in response, he hears a chuckle from Himuro. Cutting him a look, Aomine’s eyes narrow at the smirk on his face.

 

_Smug bastard._

 

With a sigh, Aomine shuts the bathroom door behind him and does his business, trying to think of a way to make it through the evening. As he washes his hands, he eyes a shirt hanging by the towel rack. He picks it up and looks at it, it’s just a plain black tee and without thinking, brings it to his face. Aomine takes a sniff; unsurprisingly it smells just like Kagami, it has his musk, has his essence. It’s a comforting smell.

 

Aomine freezes as Satsuki’s words from less than an hour ago ring in his head.

 

 _Make sure you behave yourself, Dai-chan! Don’t go snooping around his home and_ _don’t do anything perverted_ _like secretly sniff any of his clothes!_

 

He wrenches the shirt away from his face and throws it across the bathroom like it’s on fire, slapping his hands to his face. Aomine lets out a deep groan.

 

What the _fuck_ is Kagami doing to him? When did he get so fucking _gross_ ? _Sniffing_ his shirt? What the _fuck_ was that? 

 

Aomine runs a hand over his face and takes a deep sigh. His alone time with Kagami is being interrupted by some creep and now he just acted like some weird perv by sniffing Kagami's clothing; at this point he doesn't know if he should go back out there or just throw himself through the bathroom window. He whips out his phone and types out a quick message to Tetsu which he'll probably regret but it's the best he can do right now.

 

 **Aomine** : _im at kagamis and i dont kno what to do, himuro tatsuya is here_

 

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Aomine musters his best look of boredom before exiting the bathroom. Kagami is still in his kitchen with Himuro; still in their own world. With an irritated tsk, Aomine walks past and lies on Kagami's couch like he owns it. Grabbing the TV remote, he begins flicking through the channels like he would at home; waiting for Tetsu to reply him or better yet Himuro to leave and for Kagami to refocus his attention to him. He doesn't get either wish as his phone is still messageless and the pair are still in Kagami's kitchen. He feels his mood dampen all the more when he hears Kagami's laughter ring through his home, the sound reminding him that he isn't the cause of it and that _fuck_ , he's _never_ made Kagami laugh like that. It's to be expected of course, they've probably known each other for _way_ longer and are even on a first-name basis, so Aomine can't compete with that. 

 

Another sigh, leaves his lips as he debates leaving again, maybe just sneaking past the kitchen so Kagami won't stop him again but then his phone buzzes and he reaches for it.

 

 **Tetsu:** _don't worry aomine-kun, himuro-san is kagami's older brother_

 

Aomine frowns at his phone screen.

 

 **Aomine** : _they look nothing alike tho_

 

 **Tetsu** : _they are not blood-related but have known each other since childhood and as a result are very close, much like you and momoi-san_

 

That makes Aomine feel a little better, not as good as Himuro leaving would make him feel but it's a start.

 

 **Tetsu** : _u being jealous is very cute, aomine-kun (￣∀￣)_

 

 **Aomine:** _im not jealous_

 

 **Tetsu** _: yes you are_

 

 **Aomine** _: shut up, tetsu_

 

Aomine pockets his phone and keeps on flipping through TV channels, being in Kagami's home feels natural. He's not anxious or nervous, the couch is really comfortable and his TV is pretty big. He thinks over the day he's had so far, they played some basketball and had lunch; so pretty decent progress. But progress for what exactly? Aomine still hasn't figured out whether this _thing_ with Kagami is just his brain's dumb way of telling him he wants to be friends or if it really is him having romantic feelings for the redhead. Love isn't really something Aomine has considered, not in the romantic sense at least, sure he loves basketball but that's different.

 

Or is it? 

 

Whatever he feels for Kagami sprung up _because_ of basketball, so maybe all of this is just a way of him personifying his love for the sport. Maybe his feelings are less to do with Kagami and more to do with him reigniting his passion for the sport he's loved since he was a child. And Kagami was the one who beat him so maybe that just made him become the center point for all that emotion.

 

But _still_.

 

It doesn't sit right with him, rationalising his feelings makes sense but it doesn't _feel_ right. Why should he try and explain to himself why he feels a certain way? He feels what he feels and that's that.

 

But a small part of him knows that rationalising his feelings is a defence mechanism. The part of him that fears rejection; the part of him that still remembers what it means to lose love for something special and feel empty as a result is just trying its best to let him down easy. What should his next move be? What even is their relationship right now?  Friends? Rivals? Frenemies? A weird combination of all three?

 

What should he do to change it? Does he even want to change it? Is it even _possible_ to change it?

 

_Wait._

 

_Is Kagami even in to guys!?_

 

Panic floods his system and Aomine bolts up from the couch. Fear lodges itself in his throat as all the possible scenarios and thoughts rush through his head. What if Kagami finds out about his feelings and is completely disgusted by him? What if he completely loses him as a friend all because of dumb feelings he can't control? Because if he acts on his feelings for Kagami and gets rejected, he doesn't know what he'll do. Losing Kagami is a scary thought, especially because it hits Aomine so suddenly, making him realise that he doesn't really know what he's doing. If he continues as he is and things go south,  he'll not just lose a friend, he'll lose a rival; the _only_ rival that has made me feel like his skin was on fire, like the world was just that bit brighter because _he_ was in it. 

 

_He'll lose the one person that made basketball worth it again._

 

Aomine stands up from the couch and without sparing a glance towards the kitchen, heads for Kagami's front door. Slipping his shoes on quickly, he ignores Kagami who is calling from behind, questioning his actions. He doesn't respond; just hastens his actions when he hears Kagami moving across his apartment towards him. Aomine wrenches the front door open and bolts; not looking back; not saying a word; just slipping away as silently as possible, his mind a mess and his heart heavy.

* * *

 

When he gets home, Aomine finally lets himself breathe. His breathing is haggard, he ran straight from Kagami's place home not caring that taking the bus would have been a better option; he wasn't even in the state of mind to even think of using public transport, his legs had just carried him home, everything in his soul forcing him to leave the situation that had him on edge.

 

Maybe he's being a coward, maybe he's being overdramatic but after the day he's had Aomine just feels drained. Opening his front door, Aomine goes to his kitchen and grabs a Pocari from the fridge, downs it, crushes it and tosses it into the recycling without even looking at it. He's ready to sprint to his room when his mum stops him.

 

"Daiki! Don't come into the kitchen without taking your shoes off! Did you even lock the front door after you came in? How many times have I told you to lock it after you come in! I swear, if you left your keys in the door again **—** "

 

She goes off on him, in typical mum fashion, berating him for shit he did weeks ago, while he just stands there, staring off into space, hoping and praying for it all to just hurry up and end. But she stops suddenly, walks up to her son carefully and takes his chin with two soft fingers. She pulls his face towards her and though he towers over her by quite a bit she looks into her son's eyes with an intensity no one else could muster.

 

"What's wrong, Daiki?" Her voice is soft and quiet, her blue eyes questioning but not demanding.

 

Aomine wants to pull his face away and just stomp upstairs like the angsty teen he's been for the last year, wants to shrug her off say _it's nothing_ and just hole himself up in his room like he does when he wants space. But he's so confused by everything he's feeling lately, so tired of having emotions that he can't fully explain that he just loses himself for a minute. 

 

Aomine doesn't cry often, not at all really. But right now is different, he doesn't hold back, just lets his tears fall like a tap that's been left unattended. His mother doesn't say anything at first, just brings her son's head down till it rests on her shoulder and rubs his back as he latches on to her like he did as a child. As a young boy, Aomine was rambunctious and carefree; a firefly that could light up the whole street; he greeted all their neighbours, played with wild animals and had no fear talking to strangers even ones far older than him. His light has always been something Himari loved about her son; a light that she had only ever seen in him. It was dazzling; an aura so luminous it  need to be protected. She learned this almost too late however, as his final year of middle school at Teiko had almost robbed him of his light and it was only now, over a year later that he was finally, _slowly_ getting it back. As his mother, she swore to herself that she would do everything and _anything_ in her power to protect it..

 

A memory from over a decade ago pops into her head, one where Aomine must have been no more than 4 or 5 years old. 

 

He had scraped his knee while he was running outside, leaving a nasty gash and blood that had poured profusely. She remembers vividly how his tiny fingers had reached out to her as he cried; how he had latched himself on to her and sobbed; how he had stayed in her arms after she bandaged him up, how she had sung him a lullaby she had made up; back when she was the one towering over him. 

 

She begins to hum the melody as she rubs her son's back; he tenses for a moment before relaxing in her arms again; his cries quieter as she begins to sing the silly ditty about jungle animals and naughty boy who ran off to play with them.

 

Mother and son hold each other for a little while longer, Himari still singing; still rubbing his back tenderly. Aomine eventually lifts his head, not saying anything as his mother holds his face in her hands once more; wiping away any remnants of his sadness.

 

"Are you hungry, Daiki?" Her voice is like it was years ago, when Aomine was small and she was his entire world.

 

He grunts in response and she chuckles, making her way to the stove to dish the food she had cooker earlier in the day. Without a word Aomine sits at the table and waits for his meal, when it comes he eats slowly, stuffing his face with rice and curry; his eyes on his food. He's thankful that she's not asking questions because right now he doesn't have any answers. But he does have a question of his own.

 

"How do you know you're in love?"

 

When she doesn't respond for a moment, Aomine continues.

 

"Like really in love. Not just a crush or something."

 

If she's taken aback, she doesn't show it. Instead she replies her son like he's asked her what the weather will be like tomorrow.

 

"You don't." She says simply. Aomine looks up from his empty plate to his mother who has her back to him, washing plates.

 

"Maybe at first you aren't sure of your feelings, aren't sure of how they may feel about you. You're confused and maybe a bit angry about it. Maybe you want to run away or maybe you want it all to be over with already. Maybe you feel on cloud nine every time you think of them, maybe every second with them feels like a summer's day, maybe it's horrible and you feel nervous and self-conscious around them, maybe a combination of all the things I just said."

 

She turns to her son and smiles. "You don't have to know you're in love to be in love, Daiki. You don't have to put  your feelings into a box and hyper-analyse them. You feel a certain way about a person, that's fine and that is enough. Love is the most wonderful thing in the world and it is unique to everyone of us. I mean, you don't have to think about how or why you love basketball, do you?"

 

"No." Aomine replies slowly, her words both confusing and easing him. "But what if lose our friendship because of my feelings? What if I fuck up what we already have and I can't go back?" 

 

His mother stops washing plates, wipes off her hands and faces her son with the same blue eyes he possesses. 

 

"If you could no longer play basketball, would you come to hate it?"

 

Her words seem random and he gives her a quizzical look but nonetheless answers immediately.

 

"No, of course not." 

 

She smiles, "It is the same principle. Love is something that never leaves you, Daiki. If the person you love comes to not love you, yes it will hurt and could potentially end your friendship but it won't take away the memories you've made with them. It won't make you forget the way they made you feel."

 

She moves towards her son and takes his face in her hands once again.

 

"When you couldn't play basketball the way you wanted, when you became bored with it, did you ever hate it?"

 

Aomine shakes his head slowly. When he became bored with basketball, he never _ever_ hated it. It _hurt_ because the thing he loved most in the world wasn't enjoyable anymore, he didn't get that rush anymore, he didn't have that spark that made every day feel like he could jump high, dribble faster, fake quicker. It was anguish to not be able to play the way he loved but he never even came close to hating basketball.

 

"It is the same principle." Himari says, brushing some of his hair out of his face." I can't promise you that you first love will turn out perfectly but I know that no matter how it goes: you'll be fine Daiki. You're my strong, resilient _little fighter_."

 

 _Little fighter._ She used to call him that all the time when he was younger but puberty came and eventually Aomine nagged at her to stop. But right now, he doesn't mind it.

 

_Not one bit._

 

"But enough! You're tired so get to bed!" She says returning to full-fledged mum-mode as she takes her hands from his face and picks up his plate to wash it. “But make sure you shower first, Daiki. You stink."

 

Aomine snickers as he stands from the kitchen table, he makes to leave but pauses in the doorway. He looks at his mum who gives him a questioning look.

 

"Thanks, mum."

 

The brown skin around her eyes crinkles as she beams at her son. 

 

"You're always welcome Daiki. I love you."

 

Her words do more than he has the capability to express, his heart swelling in his chest as he repeats them in his head.

 

"I love you too."

 

* * *

 

When he wakes up the next morning, Aomine sees a truckload of messages and missed calls on his phone. Most from Satsuki, Tetsu and Kise but a few also from Kagami. His messages make Aomine feel a mixture of guilt and elation but he doesn't open them. Instead he chucks his phone away and resolves to just ignore them all till he's in a better mind to deal with it all. His mother's words last night put a lot of things into perspective for him but he's still apprehensive.

 

He likes Kagami. As more than just a friend, he doesn't know if it's love or not but that doesn't matter. He feels the way he feels and that's all that matters. As for his next move? He has no idea. He _should_  reply Kagami's texts and explain himself, apologise and maybe try to reschedule a time to go to his place again but he'd rather just loaf around and do nothing today. It's a Saturday, so Aomine lounges around his house watching TV, eating snacks and napping. He would have spent the entire day like this if not for his mother nagging him and demanding he get up and be productive. 

 

So begrudgingly, he gets up and is given a shopping list of items and is sent off to his local K-Mart. Taking a bus to the store, Aomine yawns and sighs as he walks lethargically through the aisles. Tossing things into his basket as he lazily runs his eyes over the shopping list in his hand, Aomine spots something in the corner of his eye. 

 

_Red hair._

 

When he realises it's Kagami, he panics and turns the corner to get to another aisle. He walks backwards cautiously, praying that Kagami didn't notice him too. He debates just dropping his basket and finding another K-Mart to get his groceries from, but before he can put his plan into action he bumps into someone.

 

"Ah, Aomine. What a surprise to see you here. You left so abruptly yesterday."

 

Turning slowly, Aomine groans as he sees the smug bastard who ruined his alone time with Kagami the previous day, who in return gives him an even smugger smile.

 

"Yeah, hi." Aomine replies quickly, still thinking of making his escape.

 

"What are you doing? You look as if you're hiding from someone." Himuro says with humour in his voice.

 

"Nothing, I was just leaving." Aomine says shuffling away from the boy, but his luck is out as he hears Kagami call out for Himuro and has to back away from the sound of his voice. 

 

" _Oh_? What's wrong Aomine? Are you perhaps _afraid_ of Taiga?"

 

Aomine ignores him and quickly passes to another aisle, trying his best to find the exit of the store, gripping his basket tightly due to his nerves. But Himuro keeps up with him, staying close as small chuckles leave his lips. Kagami's voice rings out again and Aomine almost dives into another aisle.

 

"Why are you avoiding him, Aomine?" Himuro asks, still smiling. 

 

"None of your fucking business." Aomine bites back, seriously getting tired of him following him and the joy he seems to be getting from Aomine's distress.

 

"I see, so it has nothing to do with your attraction to Taiga?" 

 

Aomine freezes, snapping his head back to look at Himuro as his cheeks go pink. Is he really _that_ fucking obvious? Is it written all over his face or something?

 

"What the fuck—I'm not—Why the fuck—Bakagami? Get real—" Aomine sputters as his cheeks get warmer, Himuro's stupid smug smile growing wider more and more.

 

"Although, with the way you're acting he probably thinks the opposite. Leaving like that yesterday made him quite upset." Himuro says, folding his arms. "Don't you think you owe him an explanation?"

 

A little pulse of joy runs up Aomine's spine at the thought that Kagamai was upset over his departure but he can't let in show in front of this guy so he tries to feign ignorance.

 

"I don't like Bakagami, so I don't know what you want from—"

 

"So, if I call for him right now there's no problem then?" Himuro interrupts, already cupping a hand around his mouth to shout.

 

"No, wait!" Aomine says desperately, he **cannot** face Kagami right now, not when he hasn't even opened any of his messages or replied to any of his calls. "Look, I just can't face him right now, okay?"

 

"Why?"

 

"What's it to you?" Aomine says defensively, he's sick of this guy and just wants to leave before he runs into Kagami.

 

"I just want to know about the guy who claims he wants to _win the heart_ of my dear little brother." 

 

It takes a minute but the penny eventually drops and Aomine smacks a hand to his forehead at his own stupidity. He should have guessed sooner.

 

"You're part of this stupid _operation_ , aren't you?" Aomine grits out, while Himuro taps a finger to his chin. 

 

"Hmm, I wouldn't say I'm part of it, more that I'm just interested in how it will all play out. No matter the result, I think this will be good for Taiga."

 

“Whatever.” Aomine says eyeing him dangerously, Kagami’s _brother_ or not, the guy is up to no good. He’s sneaky and _way_ too smug to not have something up his sleeve. 

 

“But seriously, Aomine. Apologise to him, he doesn’t deserve to be blown off like that.”

 

“I’ll do it later,” Aomine says dismissively, ready to leave the aisle once more.

 

“You’ll do it today or I’ll tell him that I saw you here and you did everything in your power to avoid him.”

 

Aomine bristles, “You fuck—” But Kagami’s voice rings out, far too close for comfort and Aomine grips his basket even tighter and turns on his heels, _just_ missing Kagami as he enters the aisle.

 

“Tatsuya! I’ve been calling out to you for ages, what’s taking so long?”

 

“Sorry, I guess the snacks for Atsushi aren’t in this branch.”

 

“No problem, we’ll just try another one.” 

 

“Aren’t you quite the gentleman, _Taiga_.”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Kagami replies and even from behind the aisle corner, Aomine can hear the smile in his voice.

 

“It’s just a shame because I really wanted to find them _today._ ” Himuro says and Aomine knows the words are for him. 

 

_The fucker._

 

“Stop being dramatic, we might still find some in another store.” Kagami says, his voice getting further away. 

 

“Yeah, I know. But with Atsushi it’s snacks _or else_.” Himuro replies, again to Aomine before his own voice leaves the aisle. Aomine waits for a moment longer before peeking out from around the corner of the aisle.

 

He sighs as he turns the corner and sees them leaving the shop. His heart tugging in his chest as he sees Kagami’s back as he exits; he watches as they walk away, talking animatedly as their arms brush against each other. The sight makes Aomine’s stomach twist, he’s jealous even though he has no right to be. He’s dumb decision to run has probably set him back with Kagami; probably erased all the _progress_ he has made with him thus far.

 

He finishes gathering up the rest of the items from his list, pays and leaves the store. As he walks aimlessly, with the bag of groceries swinging sadly in his bunched up fist, Aomine comes across a small basketball court; a kid’s one and he can’t help but feel an ache in his chest. He thinks back to yesterday; a day he spent so much of his time with Kagami; getting to know him better, know about his family, him growing up in LA. Things that he would never have known if he didn’t swallow his stupid pride and reach out to him.

 

So with a frustrated grunt, Aomine gets his phone out of his pocket and calls the idiot running through his mind before he can’t talk himself out of it.

 

“Ao—”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Before Kagami can even get a word out, Aomine blurts out his apology; he can’t even think of an excuse but it doesn’t matter, he just needs to get it over and done with.

 

“Yesterday, I just needed to leave. Sorry that I left like that.”

 

He holds his breath once he’s done; in half a mind to just drop the damn phone but holds on to hear Kagami’s reply. 

 

His edge eases slightly when he hears Kagami chuckle.

 

“You feeling okay, Aomine? Never thought I’d hear you apologise like that. Or at all.”

 

Just like that his nerves melt away, his muddy thoughts clear and he relaxes.

 

“Don’t get used to it, Bakagami.”

 

Kagami chuckles again and Aomine’s heart soars.

 

“Yep, knew it was too good to be true, still a bastard I see.”

 

Aomine feels warmth bubble up in his stomach.

 

“Still better than you, you mean.”

 

“Oh, shut up.”

 

Feeling a little bold, Aomine leans on a nearby wall and tries his luck.

 

“So, rain check on watching the game at your place?”

 

When Kagami doesn’t respond immediately, Aomine swallows nervously. _Was that too soon?_

 

“Sure, I don’t have practise Wednesday so you can come over then if you want.”

 

Sighing in relief, Aomine gets a bit cheekier “Make me food when I come over, Kagami.”

 

The boy scoffs in response, “Why should I? Get your own food.”

 

“I’ll bring over some sneakers I’m not using.”

 

“Why would I want your sneakers, Ahomine?”

 

“No? Fine, I’ll just sell them I guess. Air Jordan 1’s should sell for quite a bit.”

 

Kagami makes a small sound of protest and Aomine smirks knowing he’s won him over.

 

“I’ll have to see the sneakers before I even think of cooking you anything.”

 

It’s Aomine’s turn to snicker, Kagami is just too easy to toy and tease, “Nothing too salty, Bakagami.”

 

“Don’t push your luck, dumbass. I’ve gotta go now though.”

 

“Yeah, yeah get back to your _brother_.” Aomine says with an eye roll, Kagami pauses for a second but then replies normally.

 

“Later, Ahomine. Next time reply to my messages.” 

 

With that, the phone call ends and Aomine closes his eyes as relief washes over him. 

 

He did it, he’s back in the clear with Kagami and next week he’ll go over to his house to watch the game and maybe get to eat some of his cooking. 

 

It’s a win-win situation all around. 

 

On the ride back home, Aomine is lost in his thoughts of what next week will be like. Would Kagami’s cooking taste any good? Would they sit close together on his couch? How should he dress? Casual? Should he bring a basketball with him for a quick game of 1-on-1?

 

His thoughts muse on as he gets off of the bus and walks to his home, when he gets inside he gives his mum the groceries and heads back to his room without listening to what she’s saying back to him. He opens his door, ready to have a nap when instead is greeted by the three troublemakers that just won’t give him a moment’s peace.

 

“You’ve done it now, Dai-chan!”

 

“Really, Aominecchi? Running away? I’m disappointed in you!”

 

“This was your opportunity, Aomine-kun and you blew it.”

 

The three stooges sit on his floor around a small table his mother has no doubt set out for them, with tea, biscuits and other snacks laid on it. There’s a folder on the table, no doubt Satsuki’s, and it’s bulging with all sorts of papers that Aomine has no interest in learning about. 

 

“Why the fuck are you—”

 

Biting into a butter cookie, Satsuki cuts him off as she opens up her folder.

 

“Hurry up and sit down, Dai-chan! We have to help you sort out this mess!”

 

“We’ve devised a stronger plan to help you, Aominecchi!” Kise says enthusiastically.

 

“Since our original guide proved too difficult for you.” Tetsu adds as he sips some tea.

 

“We’ve renamed it and everything!” Kise says with a grin. They all exchange determined (stupid in Aomine’s opinion) looks before turning to him.

 

“ _Operation: Kiss Kiss Fall in Love!”_

 

The name sounds vaguely familiar, like the opening from some shitty anime that Satsuki made him watch with her. His _angels of love_ look mighty impressed with themselves which irks Aomine to no end.

 

With a deadpan, unimpressed look, Aomine addresses them all at once:

 

“Get out of my house.”

 

But as he knew he’d be, he’s promptly ignored and rubs his temples at the oncoming headache that they are _no doubt_ going to cause.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You expected Fluff but it was me Angst! Yeah, this chapter took a different route than I had originally planned but I’m happy with the adjustments I made. I’ve decided that I’ll stop apologising for my update schedule, these chapters take a lot of planning and execution so they’ll come out when I have the time for them to, that being said thank you for reading and I’m very grateful to the people who keep coming back and are really enjoying this silly little fic of mine ʕ๑•ᴥ•๑ʔ ♡♡
> 
> p.s I read a really great post on tumblr about interaction with fics and I really agree, if you are reading a fic and you really enjoy it: let the author know! Don’t be a stranger! Lurking is not enough! A comment is a place for you to leave a review of the chapter and the story as a whole. Kudos are nice but actual human interaction can never be replaced, do you know how mind blown I am when people legit pull out paragraphs of mine that they especially loved and tell me as much?? It makes me weep. A comment like “I really like this, update soon” offers nothing for the author, it’s sweet sure but it’s like eating a meal someone has cooked for you and saying more please the second you’ve finished, no thanks, no comments on the food just more. Please think about the people writing the fics you are enjoying in bed, on the train, after a long day etc. We are human beings not machines who vomit out words on to a Google Document. Thanks for listening and I hope you take this as a call to leave better more constructive and loving comments on any and all fanfics you read ♡ ♡ ♡


	8. banana milk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fucking chapter (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ you know what, I'll save my whining for the notes at the end! For now, thank you for coming back and here's the next chapter ♡♡♡:

“First things first, Dai-chan—”

 

“Which one of you told Himuro?” Aomine interrupts as he sits down at the table set on his room floor. He grabs a bunch of biscuits just as Kise is about to reach them and receives an annoyed huff in response.

 

Satsuki kicks him under the small table and he bangs his knee against one of its legs in pain.

 

“The fuck, Satsuki!?”

 

“Don’t interrupt me when I’m trying to fix the problem you caused!”

 

“What problem?” Aomine says as he slaps Kise’s hand away from the biscuits that he tries to take back, lifting the plate and holding it close like a child. Kise tries to grab it back and spills his tea, promptly shrieking and hitting Aomine just as childishly as he keeps the plate hugged to his chest. Kuroko sips tea while giving them a look of disapproval.

 

“You walking out on Kagami! Now he probably thinks you hate him or something!”

 

“There’s no problem,” Aomine says in between bites, “I fixed it.”

 

The trio look at him with suspicion in their eyes. 

 

“What do you mean ‘fixed it’?” Satsuki questions, closing her folder and picking up another butter cookie.

 

“Knowing you, Aomine-kun, it’s possible you made it worse.” Kuroko adds in.

 

“I said _I fixed it_.” Aomine replies with a frown, “I called, said sorry and then he said I can come over on Wednesday cause he doesn’t have practise then.”

 

" _You_ said sorry?" Kise says in disbelief, as he uses a shirt that was previously on Aomine’s floor to clean up his spilt tea. 

 

“Oi, Kise! Don’t use my shit to clean your mess.”

 

“It’s already dirty!”

 

“I don’t care!”

 

“Dai-chan, focus! What exactly happened?” Satsuki says exasperated as she snatches the shirt from Kise and tosses it across the room, though it doesn’t get very far.

 

Aomine stretches and lies back on his bedroom floor. “Don’t make me repeat myself, Satsuki.”

 

She rolls her eyes but he doesn’t see it from his position, instead he closes his own eyes and relaxes onto his floor, thinking over to his conversation with Kagami and unconsciously smiles to himself.

 

“Please stop daydreaming about Kagami-kun and rejoin the conversation, Aomine-kun.” Kuroko says with a knowing smile as he finishes his tea, Aomine tsks and turns on his side to try and ignore them all.

 

“Why did you walk out on Kagamicchi anyway?” Kise asks as he finishes cleaning up the spilt tea with the shirt that has found itself back in his grasp.

 

“None of your business.” Aomine says gruffly, but he knows they won’t let it go that easily.

 

Kuroko pipes up first, “He felt intimidated by Himuro-san.”

 

Aomine can’t help but take the bait.

 

“No, I didn’t.” He snaps, sitting back up to face his three demons, “I just felt weird so I left.”

 

“What made you feel weird?” Satsuki asks, her irritated tone replaced by genuine concern. 

 

“I don’t know, stuff.” He says as he leans back on his palms and stares at the corner of his room.

 

No one says anything, so with a shrug he elaborates. “I was thinking about what would happen if Bakagami found out about my feelings. How he'd react, if he'd hate me. Shit like that." 

 

"Kagami-kun may be an idiot but he is not a bad person," Kuroko says calmly, "He isn't the type to hate anyone. More than that, you are his greatest rival so I'm sure he values you far too much to lose you like that."

 

Aomine grunts nonchalantly, but the small smile on his lips lets them know that Kuroko's message has been received.

 

"Kagamin was upset when you left, Dai-chan! He's probably more interested in you than you think!" Satsuki says with a warm smile, her words make Aomine go pink as he sits up straighter.

 

"Yeah, whatever." He tries to force himself not to get excited over her words but damnit now the idea is in his head and he feels a little giddy. It must show on his face because Satsuki squeals and both Kise and Kuroko look smug.

 

"Dai-chan, stop being so cute!"

 

Aomine scowls as his cheeks get rosier. "You stop being so gross!"

 

"Surely, you knew that though, Aomine-kun. Didn't you read any of his texts?" Kuroko asks.

 

It hits Aomine that _no_ , he didn't in fact read any of the texts that Kagami sent him yesterday, so he whips out his phone and goes to his messages. What he reads make his heart feel funny.

 

 **Kagami:** _ahomine what the hell???_

 

 **Kagami:** _why did you leave??_

 

 **Kagami:**   _are you okay??_

 

 **Kagami:** _dont worry me over some dumb shit ahomine_

 

 **Kagami:** _fine then ignore me jackass_

 

Aomine rereads the texts again and again, for a moment forgetting that he's in the presence of his friends and covers his face with a hand as he lets the elation of knowing Kagami was upset that he left _and_ worried about him run its course through his body. He would have remained that way for awhile if not for the sound of camera shutters going off. Snapping out of his haze, he sees Satsuki, Kise and Kuroko all taking pictures of him with their phones. 

 

"What the fuck are you guys doing!?" 

 

"You are surprisingly cute, Aomine-kun." Kuroko says as he continues taking pictures of Aomine's embarrassed and deep red face. "Falling in love has you glowing in a new light."

 

"Delete those pictures right now." Aomine says darkly, but Satsuki waves her hand about as she puts her phone down, dismissing him completely. 

 

"Nevermind that! Now we have to figure out what you're going to do at his house this Wednesday! We need to plan it out carefully to make the most of this opportunity."

 

Her words and subject change make him remember his earlier question.

 

"Hold up. Which one of you told Himuro?" He asks again, eyeing them suspiciously. Satsuki and Kise look to Kuroko who as has a blank, guitless look on his face.

 

"Tetsu, what the fuck?" Aomine starts, but Kuroko calm places a hand out to placate him.

 

"Now, now, Aomine-kun. Himuro-san knows Kagami better than any of us do, I just thought that it would be valuable to have him on your side."

 

"So, you decided to tell him everything?" Aomine accuses and at this Kuroko looks the slightest bit remorseful.

 

"It wasn't my intention to let him know _anything_ , I just wanted to know if Kagami had dated anyone previously and from there Himuro-san figured it out on his own."

 

Aomine gives an annoyed grunt before he hears his words properly. "Wait, has he? Dated anyone?" 

 

Kuroko smiles and shakes his head.

 

"No, but he mentioned that Kagami-kun is surprisingly popular with older women. According to Himuro-san, they often stop him to flirt but Kagami rebuffs their advances."

 

Aomine frowns at the mental image of some old hag making moves on Kagami. 

 

"That's good then, right!?" Kise pipes up, "He isn't interested in them!"

 

"Yes, but Himuro-san mentioned in all the years that he's known him, Kagami hasn't expressed interest in anyone before, so he doesn't necessarily know what Kagami finds attractive in a person." 

 

Satsuki sighs, "Which brings us back to square one: does Kagami want to date at all?"

 

"What do you mean?" Aomine asks, leaning on the table and looking between his three friends.

 

"This is why we decided to restructure the plan, Dai-chan! We were talking and well, there's a reason Kagami is known as a basketball idiot." Satsuki says with Kuroko nodding in agreement.

 

"Kagami-kun is wholly obsessed with basketball, so it's unlikely he'll even realise your advances unless we do something drastic”

 

“Drastic?” Aomine shuffles uncomfortably, panic already settling up his spine.

 

“Calm down, Aomine-kun. No one is saying confess out right but you need to do more to show Kagami that you’re a romantic candidate.”

 

“How the fuck do I do that?” Aomine says with a frown, “Isn’t what I’m doing right now enough?”

 

“Think about it Aominecchi! From Kagami’s perspective you’re just getting friendlier with him because your rivals in basketball.”

 

Aomine scowls because he knows Kise is right, Bakagami is far too focused on basketball to realise his affections. That reality is both reassuring and dismaying.

 

“So what do I do?” he asks, hoping for the answer on one of their faces.

 

But what he gets instead are looks of resignation and exhaustion. 

 

“That’s just it! We’ve got nothing.” Satsuki sighs again, opening her folder and flipping through it absentmindedly.

 

“Apart from you just directly confessing, of course.” Kuroko adds.

 

“No fucking way.” Aomine replies without hesitation, confessing is a whole different ball game, with mental gymnastics he’s not ready to tackle yet.

“You can’t have nothing, come on, there’s gotta be something I can do, right?”

 

“We haven’t got _nothing_ but rather nothing that _you’d_ be willing to do.” Satsuki says, picking up another cookie.

 

“Like what?” 

 

“Well, I suggested you write Kagamicchi a love letter!” Kise says excitedly. 

 

“Not happening.” Aomine says, again without the slightest bit of hesitation.

 

They all sigh in unison.

 

“See! This is what we mean, Dai-chan! You’ve got to be more willing!” 

 

“I’m not some fucking chick! Why the fuck would I write a love letter!? Bakagami probably wouldn’t even read it, he’d just get grossed out.”

 

“How else are you going to get Kagamicchi to see you in a different light?” Kise asks stubbornly, his idea was a good one!

 

“Why can’t I just keep doing what I’m doing!”

 

“Because Kagamin is oblivious! He won’t get it if we don’t press harder!” Satsuki says, getting increasingly irritated at Aomine's stubbornness. 

 

“Maybe that’s a good thing!” Aomine retorts.

 

“How can that be a good thing!?” Satsuki snaps, exasperated at this point.

 

“Because I don’t want to lose him!” Aomine shouts back. 

 

Satsuki’s shoulders drop and her puffed angry cheeks mellow.

 

"Dai-chan…"

 

Aomine scowls at the corner of his room, looking away from them.

 

“If I push too hard and Kagami doesn’t feel the same way, I’ll end up losing him and I don’t want that.” Aomine says quietly after they all sit in silence for a bit. "Even if you say he won't hate me, still I don't want to do anything to make him uncomfortable."

 

"I'm sorry, Dai-chan." Satsuki says just as quietly, she closes her folder and takes it off the table. "I guess we got a little carried away with our _operation_." 

 

Aomine sighs and looks back at them all, Satsuki looks disheartened and guilty which in turn makes him feel guilty for his outburst. Kise looks remorseful too and even Kuroko's stoic face suits the sudden shift in tone for the room.

 

"I just..I just want to do this right." Aomine says as he nudges Satsuki with his foot, "I want to get Kagami to like me the right way, I want to be his friend first and just see how things go from there."

 

"And we will help you do so, Aomine-kun." Kuroko says with a small smile, "The right way." He holds out his fist for a bump and with a light scoff Aomine returns it. 

 

"No fair! Fist bump me too, Aominecchi!" Kise says, feeling left out. He pouts and holds out his fist for Aomine who ignores it until he starts whining. Fistbumping him only to get him to shut up, Aomine bumps his fist with more force than necessary which causes Kise to whine further much to his chagrin. Satsuki giggles while Kuroko smiles, their antics bringing him back to their Teiko days. They soon forget the small outburst and fight and fall in to conversation over everyday topics, school, Kise's latest fashion shoot, a cafe Satsuki wants to visit, a bookstore Kuroko frequents and of course basketball. Aomine sits, listens, interrupts, laughs and teases with a smile on his face. 

 

Time goes by without them realising and it's only when they leave that Aomine realises it's almost 11pm. As he showers, it dawns on him that he hasn't had anyone other than Satsuki over his house in a long time, (which is probably why his mother went overboard with the snacks and tea) probably since his middle school. He muses on it as he gets himself to bed, but before he sleeps he picks up his phone and rereads Kagami's texts. 

 

He feels a rush again and on a whim types out a quick message.

 

 **Aomine:** _u worried about me bakagami?_

 

He doesn't expect a reply much less an instant one, so when Kagami starts typing back his heart lurches in his chest.

 

 **Kagami:** _it takes u a full day to reply to a message?_

 

 **Kagami:** _next time dont ignore me asshole_

 

Aomine smiles at how upset he sounds, he _really_ was worried.

 

 **Aomine:** _my bad about worrying u_  

 

 **Kagami:** _2 apologies in one day? u ill?? (•ิ_•ิ)?_

 

 **Aomine:** _fine ill never say sorry again_

 

 **Kagami:** _im tryin to sleep, stop texting me ahomine_

 

It's late, Aomine's body reminds him with a deep yawn. With all the excitement he's had today he needs to rest, so without a second thought he types out a final message.

 

 **Aomine:** _what u can't even say goodnight, bakagami?_

 

Maybe that was too much, a little cringey so he stuffs his phone under his pillow and tries to forget about it. But after 5 or so minutes of his mind fighting against him, he reaches under his pillow and yanks it out again. The message he reads quells his nerves and eases his mind, letting him drfit off to sleep without a single worry left.

 

 **Kagami:** _goodnight dumbass_

 

* * *

 

Wednesday rolls around sooner than later and it's with an almost skip in his step that Aomine finds himself walking towards Seirin High, even though technically  he still has 10 mins left of his own school day but he doesn't care. In his bag are the pair of sneakers he promised Kagami, still in their original box. Honestly, Aomine can't remember if he's used them or not, but it's probably the latter as he remembers buying a few because they were on sale once and his shoe size is rare in most stores.

 

He debates going into Seirin and looking for Kagami but decides that would be _way_ too much like a shitty shojo manga so he waits by the gates. Soon enough, students between mulling through the gates, happy to be done with school for the day. As the hustle and bustle of teenagers passes him by, Aomine looks for striking red hair in the sea of students, ignoring the girls who give him looks and giggle to each other. Well, not completely, a few of the chicks that look his way are well-endowed and Aomine can't help but give them a once over. 

 

Which is, of course, the exact moment Kagami decides to show up.

 

"Really, Aomine?" Kagami says unimpressed. Aomine snaps his head away from the girl's chest to look at Kagami who is standing at him with a look of disgust with Kuroko beside him; sporting his usual stoic expression though his eyes brim with mirth.

 

Aomine straightens up to defend himself before Kuroko speaks up.

 

"Hello, Aomine-kun. To what do we owe this pleasure?”

 

Aomine tsks, “Hey, Tetsu." He says quickly before turning to Kagami.

 

"Don't get your panties twisted, Kagami. I just got bored waiting for you."

 

"Whatever." Kagami turns to Kuroko and gives him a questioning look. "You coming Kuroko? I'm gonna prove to Aomine that the Chicago Bulls use strategy in their games."

 

Aomine flashes his eyes to Kuroko, mentally begging him not to throw a spanner into the works. Kuroko chuckles before he responds to his tall friend.

 

"I'm afraid I'm busy today, Kagami-kun. But please enjoy yourselves." 

 

"No worries, I'll see you tomorrow." 

 

Aomine fake yawns and stretches as the two say their goodbyes, he scowls at the knowing smile Kuroko gives him and grunts out his own farewell as the boy walks off in the opposite direction. His body is floods with warmth when Kagami turns his attention to him with a grin on his face. 

 

"Ready to take back all your words about the Bulls?" 

 

Aomine grins right back at him, "I'll believe it when I see it." 

 

They leave the school and fall into rhythm as they walk, Kagami going on about his favourite team while Aomine listens and gives the occasion snarky comment. Mostly he just watches Kagami from the corner of his eye, taking in all his animated expressions, the way his eyebrows rise and fall, the way his cheek rises as he smiles, the way his voice almost cracks as he gushes over a dunk from one of their recent matches. 

 

Without realising it, he and Kagami walk to a local supermarket and it's only after he follows him in that Aomine questions his crush.

 

"Since when do you live in a supermarket, Bakagami?"

 

"Shut up, I need to buy groceries for my dinner." Kagami replies as he grabs a shopping cart and begins making his way down an aisle without waiting for Aomine, though he doesn't have to as the boy keeps up with him with ease.

 

"Oh? What are we having?" 

 

" _I'm_ having teriyaki burgers, I don't care what you're eating." Kagami replies as he scrolls through the shopping list he has on his phone.

 

"Oi, don't be stingy, Bakagami. Make me food." 

 

"Why should I?" Kagami replies as he stops halfway down the aisle and throws a bag of breadcrumbs into his cart. 

 

“Because I brought the sneakers.” Aomine replies with a grin, which widens when Kagami bristles.

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

Aomine chuckles because the look on Kagami's face is too damn cute. As they walk through the supermarket, Kagamii putting things in his cart as he goes, Aomine can't help but think about how cozy he feels just being with Kagami. _Is this what it will be like to date him?_ He gives Kagami another sidelong glance, taking in his keen eyes that scan the sleeves and is overwhelmed by the sense of joy he feels just being near the boy. Feeling emboldened by his feelings, Aomine decides to get cheeky. As they turn onto a new aisle, Aomine spots some of his favourite beverage: banana milk and chucks a few cartoons into Kagami's cart.

 

"Put it back." Kagami says without missing a beat.

 

"Put what back?" Aomine replies nonchalantly. 

 

"I'm not buying you that shit, so put it back." 

 

"What this?" Aomine says, as he grabs a can of beans Kagami had previously picked up and places them back on one of the shelves adjacent to him.

 

"What are you? 5 years old? Put it back!" Kagami barks at him, his eyebrows flaring. Aomine smiles wide; getting under Kagami's skin is _too easy_ and _too much_ fun.

 

"Chill, Bakagami." He tosses the can back into the cart with ease but doesn't put back the banana milk. Kagami pushes the cart out of the aisle quickly, not bothering to wait for Aomine.

 

Aomine walks behind and just watches the boy, letting him cool off as he continues to get the items on his list. Kagami looks focused as he scans the shelves and fridges, he compares items to find the best value for his money and always puts the lesser item back in its exact spot. When Aomine tries his luck again and put a few more snacks in the cart, Kagami grumbles and kicks at him but never makes him put it back. Going down another aisle, Kagami is asked by an old woman to grab an item she can't reach and when he does so she showers him with praise as he leans down to let her pat his head. The small smile on his face at the woman's praise is another expression of his that Aomine has never seen before; it's a gentle look, one that almost doesn't suit Kagami; making him look almost regal. It serves as another striking reminder of just how attractive Kagami is, a reminder that has Aomine absentmindedly staring off into space as the woman jovially walks out of the aisle.

 

"Oi, Aomine. You braindead?"

 

Kagami's voice pulls him out of his mind just in time to realise that the boy is _way_ too close. Like so close, Aomine can see the many hues that combine to make the red of his irises, and the realisation of the proximity isn't helped by the fact that Aomine also realises that Kagami's hand is on his forehead. He jolts back as his cheeks pinken, his mind trying to piece together when and how Kagami got that close.

 

"What's with you?" Kagami asks as he eases up from being so close, "If you're sick, go home. I don't need you getting me ill too."

 

"I'm fine." Aomine says, clearing his throat, hoping and praying that his voice doesn't give off his embarrassment. "I'm just bored as hell, how long are we gonna be here?"

 

Kagami rolls his eyes as he moves his cart towards the supermarket's check out. "I'm done, dumbass. Stop staring at nothing and hurry up." 

 

Aomine pushes the tingle of Kagamu's hand on his forehead to the back of his mind as he follows him to the checkout and waits with his hands in his pockets as the clerk bags the groceries for him. When the clerk is done, Kagami picks up a bag in each hand and leaves two on the counter as he begins walking towards the exit.

 

"Oi, Bakagami, you forgot two." 

 

"I'm not carrying your shit for you." Kagami replies without looking back.

 

Aomine looks into the bag and sees the banana milk as well as the other random snacks he threw into Kagami's cart, all placed neatly in the carrier bag. With eyebrows raised in surprise, he picks the bags up with one hand and grunts at the clerk who wishes him a good day. Exiting the store, he quickly catches up to Kagami who isn't too far away.

 

"So after all that fuss, you still bought my snacks huh?"

 

"You owe 2000¥ for all that shit." 

 

"Don't be so so stingy, Kagami."

 

"Then don't be  so annoying, Aomine." 

 

They continue to trade quips and petty insults as they walk towards Kagami's apartment building. They come to a shortcut that Kagami starts down with Aomine following closely behind. That is, until Kagami stops dead in his tracks and Aomine bumps directly into him.

 

"Oi, what the fuck, Kagami? Your eyebrows blocking your vision?" 

 

Instead of replying to his tease, Kagami just remains frozen. Looking past him, Aomine searches for the problem and finds it soon enough.

 

In the shape of a dog.

 

A Golden Retriever, to be specific.

 

Granted, it is one of the bigger dog breeds to come across in Tokyo, but with it's big brown eyes and tail that seems to be wagging a thousand miles per hour, the happy dog looks as intimidating as a leaf blowing in the wind. Upon spotting them, it barks happily and bounds up to them with its tail wagging in overdrive. Kagami reacts instantly, backing up like a frightened child, not caring that he's literally backing himself in Aomine's chest, who is very much enjoying the close contact but also losing his mind over the very same close contact. The dog gets so close that Kagami forgoes backing up and turns on his heels completely, grabbing Aomine roughly with an arm and using him as a barrier between him and the dog. 

 

In any other situation, hell, just a few months ago: Aomine would have laughed at Kagami's fear and probably tormented him by pulling him closer to the dog. But with his newfound feelings and the look of abject fear in Kagami's face, Aomine finds himself being a lot softer than usual. 

 

"Calm down, it's friendly." Aomine says to the boy who has a hand on his bicep, bunched into a fist and his eyes clamped shut. It's such an endearing look on such a tall, muscular boy that Aomine can't ignore the need in his heart to protect the dumbass from the dog that obviously means no harm.

 

"J-just get it to go away." Kagami says cracking an eye open to look at the dog that's now at Aomine's legs, panting happily and wagging its tail so fast it looks like it will take off. Aomine knows he should do just that, should probably push the dog away with a foot so it gets the message but something in the dog's eyes combined with Kagami's fear puts an idea into his head. He is  definitely pushing his luck at this point and his idea has the potential to backfire but instead of shooing the dog away, Aomine takes his free hand and grabs the hand that Kagami has on his bicep. Kagami stiffens but before he can say anything, Aomine is already pulling their hands towards the dog.

 

"Aomine, you bastard! Let go! I'll kill you!" Kagami barks out, but his frightened words don't have any heat in them, not with the way his voice quivers as they get closer to the ground. Aomine ignores him and just keeps going, reaching out for the dog's head as they both come to a squatting position. He places Kagami's hand and subsequently his own on the dog's head. Still trying to pull his hand away, Kagami shys away from touching the dog, but Aomine threads the boy's fingers into the dog's fur, which in turn makes him thread his own hands into the dog's hair, resting over Kagami's hand so they are holding hands albeit in an odd fashion. Aomine makes them pet the dog who is over the moon with the attention it's receiving.

 

"See? It just wants to be pet." Aomine says softly, making their hands rub the dog's head who in turn barks happily. Kagami remains quiet and Aomine feels rather than sees him stop shaking. It dawns on him that he is extremely close to Kagami: the boy has his other hand on Aomine's back, gripping his school blazer tightly and his face is right beside Aomine's too. Flashing his eyes to the boy beside him, Aomine takes in Kagami's trembling lips and scrunched up eyebrows; his eyes are on the dog in front of them and even though he's afraid, he begins to make  an attempt to pet the dog. Aomine looks at his lip as they continue to tremble, they look soft.

 

_Fuck, I want to kiss him._

 

With his eyes still on the happy dog, Kagami licks his bottom lip, mostly likely from his nerves it sets the heat in Aomine's body to an even higher temperature.

 

 _Fuck, I_ **_really_ ** _want to kiss him._

 

"Cinnamon!"

 

They both snap their heads up to a young boy who comes running down the walkway. The dog, Cinnamon, barks in reply and bounds over to its owner. The boy hugs his pet and receives many happy licks before he stands back up and bows in apology to the two teen boys who are still squatting.

 

"I'm really sorry! I stopped to tie my shoes and Cinnamon just kept running ahead." The boy explains quickly, still bowing. 

 

Aomine blinks a couple of times before he stands back up and grunts at the boy.

 

"It's fine, kid. Your dog is cute." 

 

The boy smiles and attaches his dog leash to Cinnamon's collar. He bows once more and Cinnamon barks again before they run off down the path in the direction of a nearby park. Aomine looks back at Kagami who is still quiet, still squatting down. Oddly enough, Kagami is looking directly at him. They just stare at each other for awhile as Aomine opens his mouth to speak but his throat is dry and he has no clue what to say. It dawns on him that they are still holding hands and Aomine snatches his hand back before he can start getting blushy over the dumb action.

 

"What did you do that for?" Kagami asks as he stands back up,  giving Aomine a quizzical look. 

 

Aomine has no clue why he did what he did, he just knows that he wanted Kagami to not be so scared; just thought that he could help in someway, granted exposure therapy isn't always the best for fear but he just did what felt right. Obviously, he can't say this to Kagami so shrugs as he looks away from him.

 

"I dunno." Aomine replies with a shrug. It's a pathetic excuse but the best he can think of, Kagami looks at him for a second longer before continuing down the walkway towards his apartment. With a quiet sigh of relief, Aomine follows closely behind him. His hand tingles with the memory of holding Kagami's and he pushes all those cringey, mushy thoughts to the back of his mind.

 

"What are you afraid of?" Kagami asks randomly, turning to look back at Aomine with a slight inclination of his head.

 

"What?" Aomine replies dumbly as he catches up to and begins to walk beside the boy. 

 

Kagami just shrugs before speaking, " I can't handle dogs. So what about you?"

 

Aomine considers fucking with him and not saying anything but decides to just be honest. 

 

"Bees." 

 

"Huh?" Kagami stops walking and just gawks at him.

 

"What? I don't like bees, they sting and it fucking hurts." Aomine replies, giving Kagami a sidelong glance as he too stops. Kagami tries to turn away and stifle it, but laughter bubbles up from his throat and before Aomine can fully register it, he's guffawing like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard in his life.

 

"You're scared of bees?" Kagami chokes out between laughs, it's far too endearing for Aomine's heart not to swoon at the sound of it; his loud laughter makes him feel giddy, so much so that he's smiling as he watches the idiot boy laugh at his irrational fear.

 

"Oi, shut it." Aomine says but his voice holds no malice; nothing but affection that he can't hide.

 

But Kagami doesn't stop, he laughs so hard he clutches his stomach and almost drops the bags on groceries that he's now shifted to one hand. Kagami sighs as he eventually calms down, the remnants of laughter still in his voice as he speaks.

 

“So, you like banana milk and are afraid of bees? For a pervert with a superiority complex, you're almost cute, Ahomine."

 

Thinking nothing of his words, Kagami gets his keys from his pocket as they reach his apartment building, not noticing the bright red blush across Aomine's face. As they make their way up the stairs to his apartment, Aomine steels his mind and more importantly his heart, for the next few hours he's about to spend with the boy who has unknowingly taken over his entire mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus fucking Christ, I swear this chapter actually took years off my life. Honestly!! It just kept going wrong??? Halfway through I cut out everything that I had written previously and just didn't know what to do?? It took so long because I just didn't know where I wanted to take it and it's only out now because I really just got tired of this chapter and said to myself "Kkuma, either you get this shit out or you throw the whole fic in the bin and move to the mountains and become a recluse." Dramatic, I know but that's just how my brain works. I've reread this chapter so much over the past month I can't even remember the rest of the fic, so I hope, my dear reader that this chapter was a good one for you, I mean we got some progress between them after all! But yeah, this chapter was a mess to write and I am exhausted. Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you think and see you on that flip side! ʕ๑•ᴥ•๑ʔ ♡♡ ~~by flip side i meant next chapter but who really cares, jesus i need to sleep~~
> 
> p.s 15 chapters is just a reference point, I may make it longer or shorter, most likely longer but as for right now, I'm just using 15 as a reference point.
> 
> p.p.s Can I just say a huge **♡ I freaking l o v e you ♡** to the 50 real life human beings who are subscribed to this dumb fic?? Like wow, I really can't believe that this foolish piece of writing is so loved and has so many people actively waiting for updates, it really makes me all mushy inside ʕ๑TᴥT๑ʔ ♡♡ so thank you, you beautiful cretins! Jk, you aren't cretins but thank you!! ♡♡♡ 
> 
> p.p.p.s Aomine liking banana milk is a cute piece of canon that I discovered when i listened to a knb [drama cd ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o95J9oQj9jo) recently ʕ๑•ᴥ•๑ʔ ♡♡


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